


Acceptance

by AsphodelWolf15



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family, Friendship, Parselmouth Harry Potter, Snakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 180,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27570811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsphodelWolf15/pseuds/AsphodelWolf15
Summary: If Vernon and Petunia were so concerned about their image why did they treat Harry the way they did? A child with a bad reputation living in their house forced them to tell tales, when it would have been much easier if they treated him like part of the family. How would Harry have turned out if he was accepted?
Comments: 10
Kudos: 119





	1. Starting Out

**Author's Note:**

> This is a completed story. It is cross posted on FFN under the same name. I hope you enjoy.

**4 Privet Drive**

Petunia Dursley sighed; normality at Privet Drive would soon be coming to an end. Her nephew, Harry, was turning eleven in just over a week and she knew what that meant. It meant a LETTER. A letter with green ink and no postage stamp delivered by a person who tried and failed to dress like a normal person. 

When Harry had been left on their doorstep in the middle of winter with only a blanket, the Dursleys had a long discussion about what they were going to do. Vernon, knowing the child was magical, wanted to get rid of him. Petunia had flat out refused; she might not have been close to her sister, but she felt obligated to care for the child. Realizing that he was stuck with the boy, Vernon had suggested they use him for chores and such when he was big enough. Petunia pointed out that it would look strange to the neighbors having one boy with ratty clothes doing all the chores and one boy in perfect clothes doing no chores. Both being vain people, they decided to treat Harry almost as well as their son. 

As the boys grew, they discovered that their son Dudley wasn’t the smartest student in the world and tended toward laziness. He passed his courses, with lots of pushing from his parents to study and do his homework but he was never going to be the top of the class. Harry, however, was nearly at the top of every class. He was a very driven student who had a gift for math and science. Harry Potter always finished his homework early and studied hard for tests. He even helped his cousin.

Dudley was a bigger boy, not overweight but he would never have his mother’s slender build. Harry was a slim boy, with the beginnings of muscle tone as he exercised and stayed active. 

Harry and Dudley each had a solid group of friends. Dudley and his friends liked their game systems while Harry’s friends were mostly his team mates from his football team. She was so happy that neither was well acquainted with that Polkiss boy, he was trouble, and the bane of the neighborhood. No, the neighbors liked her boys and she got high praise from the other ladies about how well she was raising them both.

Petunia was proud of her boys. 

And then there was Magic. To this day it still made her uncomfortable.

She and Vernon hadn’t exactly hidden the existence of magic from him, but they hadn’t really explained things either. Vernon was terrified of it as he couldn’t wield it and as far as he knew it could do ANYTHING, so they avoided discussing magic around him. As for herself, she didn’t really know that much about it. After she and Lily had had their falling out, she had stopped asking questions and Lily had stopped sharing. In fact, after Lily left for her third year at school the only news they shared had been major events in their lives like their weddings and the births of their sons. 

Harry being a very empathetic child had realized that Vernon feared magic and she was uncomfortable around it, so had avoided asking questions every day but one; on his birthday she and Harry sat down to lunch and he could ask any questions he wanted about magic and the magical world, she would answer it if she could.

Petunia shook her head and smiled. For today, she would forget about magic, today was her Dudley’s birthday. Harry sat at the table reading, that boy loved to read, and Dudley was getting dressed. She would be putting breakfast on the table in a few moments. Later, they would be taking the boys to the zoo and then after the zoo they were taking them to the pet store. Dudley had been asking for a dog for years, they had finally decided that the responsibility would be good for him. Petunia’s only rule was no Bulldogs, she loathed Marge’s dogs. Another reason she was allowing Dudley to get a dog was that she remembered that Hogwarts students were allowed a pet and Petunia wanted to get Harry an owl so that they could stay in contact over the school year. She did not want to repeat the mistakes she made with her sister.

She looked up at the sound of the letter box opening and moved toward the front of the house even as Harry started to rise. “I’ve got it, Harry, you find a stopping point and then help me set the table, breakfast will be ready in a moment.”

“Okay, Aunt Petunia,” Harry mumbled, right back to his spot in his book. 

Petunia bent down and grabbed the mail, “Dudley, Vernon,” she called up the stairs, “breakfast is ready.” She smiled as she walked back into the kitchen, the table was already set, and Harry was plating the eggs and bacon. “Thank you, Harry,” she said, placing the mail on the counter without looking at it.

She put the bowl of cut fruit on the table just as the rest of the family made it to the room. “Happy Birthday, Dudley,” she said as he sat down. 

“Yeah, Happy Birthday, Dud,” said Harry grinning.

“Right,” Vernon grunted, “eat up. We’ve got places to go.”

When everyone was finished, Harry started clearing the table, Dudley had gotten up to do it, as it was his day, but Harry insisted on doing it as it was Dudley’s birthday.

Petunia started sorting the mail, handing a few cards to Dudley, what looked like bills to Vernon, and dropped the rubbish onto the counter. She paused when she came to the last piece of mail.

Mr. Harry Potter

_Bedroom on the Left_

_4 Privet Drive_

_Little Whinging, Surrey_

Odd, they hadn’t had someone bring Harry’s acceptance letter. “Harry,” she forced out as cheerfully as she was able, “there is a letter here for you.” He looked up questioningly, “It’s from Hogwarts.”

Harry rushed around the counter and took the letter from her almost reverently. He opened the letter and absorbed the words on the thick paper. He grinned, then frowned slightly. “How am I supposed to send my acceptance? I don’t have an owl.”

“How about you write your reply and then we’ll go outside. The owl that dropped that is probably waiting around somewhere.” He nodded grinning again and rushed out to get some paper. “Oh, ask someone to come give us an introduction. I have no idea where you are supposed to get your supplies.” She looked at the rest of her men, “We will leave as soon as we get his letter sent, I promise.”

“It’s fine, mum,” Dudley said standing. “I’ll just finish opening these cards and then get my shoes.”

Vernon frowned, “Inconsiderate lot, not sending anyone to explain things to normal people.”

“Perhaps it is an automatic system.” Petunia smoothed her husband’s shirt, “Had Harry’s parents survived he would have had all the knowledge he needed long before his letter came.” She laughed softly, “Knowing my sister, she probably would have had him out shopping the moment the letter arrived, if not before.”

He nodded somewhat grudgingly. It made sense they would have an automatic system; lots of normal places were doing that nowadays. 

**Transfiguration Office, Hogwarts:**

Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress, Head of Gryffindor house and Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sat in her office going over the acceptance letters she received that day. 

She was nearly finished with the home visits for the muggle born children, she only had one left, and now she just needed to recheck the wizarding raised students. The Bones girl, check, Miss Li, Misters MacMillan, and Boot. Mister Malfoy, the Crabbe and Goyle boys, good lord, she hoped they weren’t like their fathers. Mister Longbottom, how she hopped Gussy hadn’t been too hard on that boy. And if young Mister Longbottom was attending that meant…

_Dear Deputy Headmistress McGonagall,_

_Let me begin by saying that my name is Harry Potter, and I will be attending Hogwarts come September. I am excited to attend the same school as my parents._

_I would like to request that a member of the school’s staff aid me in preparing for school. My aunt said we need the “Muggle-born” introduction. Neither my aunt nor my uncle is magical, and while my mother was, my aunt does not remember much from that time in her life. She has shared with me what she could but there are many questions for which I do not have answers, the most prominent one being, where does one buy a wand or cauldron?_

_My uncle works during the week and would prefer not to be involved, magic makes him uncomfortable, so if someone could come any day but Saturday and Sunday that would be wonderful. My aunt and cousin are interested in seeing the shops._

_I hope to hear from someone soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Harry James Potter_

Minerva put the letter down and sighed. How could she have forgotten that Harry Potter was living with his muggle relatives? Of course, he would need help acquiring his school supplies, his aunt wouldn’t be able to see the Leaky Cauldron and probably didn’t even know where it was. She looked at her calendar and noted she had an opening in 2 days’ time, a Thursday. Perfect.

She wrote a quick reply informing Mister Potter and his family that she would be at their home Thursday at 10:00 am to give him a proper introduction. She also apologized for her not doing it that way in the first place.

In just a few short days she would be seeing the child of her lost students for the first time in ten years. She almost couldn’t wait.

**Kings Cross Train Station:**

The Dursley family, plus their nephew were walking through Kings Cross pushing a trolley holding a trunk and an owl cage, though the cage was empty; the professor had suggested having his owl, a snowy owl he named Hedwig, fly ahead to the school. 

Harry Potter was excited. He had barely slept the night before but was still a bundle of nervous energy. He was going to Hogwarts.

Harry had spent the month before school absorbing all he could from the books he bought at Flourish and Blotts. He had bought a few extra books on top of his school texts, _History of the Noble Houses, The Wizengamot; Justice System of Magical Britain, Curses and Counter Curses, Wizarding Jobs_ , and a few more. He had read each one and had even read about 5 chapters of each of his school books. His favorite had been _Hogwarts: A History_ , the school sounded amazing.

All his extra books had gone into his three-compartment trunk, something he had wanted but wasn’t going to spend the extra money on, but his aunt had insisted that he get it. He now had essentially 3 trunks in one and all it took was touching the correct rune and he could dig into any of the three compartments. He had a section dedicated to clothes, one to books and one to supplies. 

They had lucked out. The first of September was a Sunday and that meant that his whole family could be there to see him off. Petunia and Dudley were happy to be there, Vernon was nervous but agreed to come so his wife and son could; had it been a weekday he would have needed to drop Harry off on his way to work. 

At Harry’s insistence they had gotten to the station extra early. He guessed, correctly, that it would be easier to find a seat if he got there well before the 11am departure time. It was just about 9:45 when they pulled into the King’s Cross station parking lot. 

The group of four approached the barrier that was the entrance to Platform 9 ¾; Professor McGonagall had brought them to the station the day she had taken them shopping to ensure Harry knew where the barrier was and how it worked. 

Harry shook his uncle’s hand, “Thank you, Uncle Vernon.” Vernon just grunted and stepped away, glancing around at the people as though searching for other magical oddities.

Harry turned to Dudley and gave him a high five and a brotherly hug. “Make sure you study and if you have questions just owl me, I’ll help if I can. Oh, and make sure you take Beans running daily. He’ll love it and it will keep you in shape.” Dudley had named his Brittany Spaniel puppy Beans for some bizarre reason that Petunia and Harry could not fathom.

“I will, Harry, don’t get too caught up in those big books, you wouldn’t want me to be faster than you next summer.”

“Now why would I let you beat me in a race?” the boys laughed.

Finally, Harry turned to his aunt. “I’ll write at least once a week and tell you all about school.” He hugged her and whispered, “Thank you, Aunt Petunia.”

“You’re welcome, Harry,” she hugged him tighter to her, “Make your mother and me proud by being the best student you can be, Harry. Make your father proud by having fun and making great friends.”

Harry stepped back and smiled. He took hold of the trolley handle and pushed it at a steady walk through the barrier, making sure not to run and not to look anxious; he didn’t want to draw any attention to himself after all. Just before he passed through the barrier, he looked over his shoulder at his family and simply said, “Bye.”

**Platform 9 ¾:**

Harry sucked in a breath at the amazing sight before him. The train was amazing. An older style steam engine train painted red and black. It was truly spectacular. 

He walked forward slowly, taking in all he could, then paused. He pulled his school bag, a shoulder bag he had bought with a feather light charm so that it wouldn’t weigh more than 5lbs, no matter what he had in it, and pulled out one of the everyday robes he had purchased. It was forest green and was styled to be worn open, so you could see the clothes beneath. There, now he looked like a wizard.

Looking around he noticed that there weren’t that many people around, so now would be the best time to find a compartment and stow his things. Once that was done, he could wander all he wanted. The only problem was, he realized standing outside one of the passenger compartments, that he didn’t think he could lift his trunk onto the train by himself. 

“Do you need a hand?”

Harry turned and saw a taller boy with brown hair and a wide smile. “If you don’t mind, that would be great.” 

The older boy smiled, “No problem, I’m Cedric Diggory and I am starting my third year this year.”

“I’m Harry Potter,” he replied as the two hoisted the trunk onto the train, it wasn’t that the trunk was overly heavy, the size just made it awkward to lift. “and obviously I will be starting my first year.”

The older boy hid his surprise well. Cedric set his side down in the hallway and offered his hand, “Nice to meet you, Harry.” Harry shook his hand and smiled. “Any idea where you might like to sit?”

Harry looked up and down the hallway, “Anywhere is fine really, and it is very nice to meet you too.”

Cedric slid the door next to him open and peered inside, “Well, this one’s empty so let’s just set you up here.” 

“Sounds good to me.” Together they wrestled the trunk onto the rack above one of the benches and put his empty owl cage next to it. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, Harry, where is your family? Usually they at least help get luggage on the train before they leave.”

“My uncle isn’t really comfortable around magic. My aunt and uncle aren’t magical, so they don’t really understand it, we said our goodbyes on the other side of the barrier, so he wouldn’t have to witness anything really magical.”

Cedric nodded, “That does happen from time to time with the parents of Muggle-born students, sometimes the parents embrace all the new things and sometimes they can’t adjust to the changes. A kid in my year in Ravenclaw went to live with his grandmother because his father couldn’t handle being around magic.” He sighed, “At least your uncle sucked it up enough to be in the station.”

“Yeah, he does try, mostly we just avoid discussing it around him though.” The two made their way off the train and back onto the platform.

Someone called Cedric’s name down toward the back of the train, and the older boy turned and waved, “Well, if you’re all right now, Harry, I’m going to head down and catch up with my friends, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen some of them.”

“That’s fine, Cedric, I think I see someone I know anyway. I’ll see you later.”

“Hope to see you in Hufflepuff, Harry!” the other boy called as he walked away.

Harry watched him go for a moment before he started to make his way toward the back wall of the platform, he would recognize that hat anywhere.

“Neville,” Harry called seeing the other first year standing next to his grandmother, who was once again, wearing her ridiculous vulture hat.

Harry had run into Neville when Professor McGonagall had taken him to Diagon Alley. The boys had bonded over their excitement about going to Hogwarts, the fact that they were born a day apart and all the interesting things they were seeing and buying. 

Neville’s grandmother Augusta, however, Harry had not liked much for some unknown reason. 

It seemed that the professor had not been happy with the old woman’s attitude at all.

It had started off at their first stop after the bank when they went to get their supplies for Potions class. Augusta Longbottom would not let her grandson touch anything. She wouldn’t let him carry the bag or touch the cauldron; everything they purchased she shrunk and stuck into her bag without a thought to the boy standing dejectedly next to her. The same was true for each shop after.

At Madam Malkin’s, she had been exceptionally rude to the assistant that had started to measure Neville and then started to degrade Neville for not looking as slim as Harry. Harry was almost certain that the poor assistant had gone in the back to cry after finishing up with the Longbottoms.

Professor McGonagall had gone off on the older woman after she suggested getting their wands though. She had seen Neville deflate moments before Madam Longbottom had said that Neville would be using his father’s wand, because that was his only chance of being any good at magic. The professor had forced a smile, looked at Harry, his family and Neville, and asked them to excuse her while she had a word with ‘Gussy.’

Harry had asked why they could not hear what was being said, it was obvious that the professor was shouting; Neville said that it was most likely a silencing charm. The slightly older boy looked stunned that someone had the gall to shout at his, admittedly formidable, grandmother.

When the two women returned, she informed BOTH boys that they would be going to Ollivander’s to get their wands. Neville found his after trying 8 wands, it was a 13” cherry wood wand with a unicorn tail hair as its core. Harry tried a grand total of 47 wands before he found his 11” holly and phoenix feather wand. Both boys found Ollivander to be incredibly creepy and were glad they would not have to go back into his store every summer, or at all.

Augusta Longbottom had been fairly subdued after that but seemed to regain her domineering attitude when they made their way to the owl emporium. Apparently, Neville was getting a toad, which Neville did not seem excited about, at all. The professor had given the Longbottom matriarch a look before asking Neville if he wanted a toad, to which he replied with a definite no, he wanted to get an owl because they were useful and self-reliant. Neville wasn’t entirely confident in his ability to take care of an animal so an owl would be best for him due to the creature’s ability to feed itself. If he got an owl it also meant he wouldn’t have to bother his grandmother’s owl. Her owl was just as obstinate and unfriendly as she was.

Harry and Neville had searched the store together. Neville was almost instantly drawn to a gold and white barn owl with a perfect heart shaped face, he ended up naming him Alden. Harry wasn’t so much drawn to an owl, as claimed by one. The moment he stepped around one of the aisles, a lovely snowy owl had swooped down and landed on his shoulder, nipping at his ear playfully.

The witch working the counter had stared at the owl in shock before saying, “I’ll give you a great deal on that one if you take her, she’s been a menace and you are the only person I have seen her not try to attack if they got too close.” 

Harry had smiled, “I’ll take her, and whatever else I need to care for her.” He looked to the owl while stroking her downy chest feathers, “I will have to think long and hard on a name for you, an owl as smart and beautiful as you, deserves an amazing name.” The owl had preened in response.

Buying their owls had been their final task and the fast friends had been forced to say their goodbyes, promising to sit together on the train.

It had been a month since they had seen each other, though they had written.

Neville turned and smiled, “Hey Harry, how are you?”

“I’m great, Neville, how are you?”

“I’m excited and a little nervous.”

Harry turned his attention to Neville’s grandmother and bowed his head slightly, “Good morning, Lady Longbottom, how are you doing today?”

She raised an eyebrow, “I am very well, Mister Potter, thank you for asking.” She looked to her grandson, “Why don’t you and Harry get your things settled on the train?”

“Thanks, Gran,” Neville turned to follow Harry, who had started pushing his trolley toward the train but stopped. He threw his arms around his grandmother’s waist, “Goodbye, Gran, I’ll miss you.”

“Goodbye, Neville, make me proud.” Augusta Longbottom watched her much more confident grandson walk toward the train. For some reason she wasn’t so afraid of him failing anymore. Perhaps Harry Potter was just what he needed to find his inner strength.

**The Sorting:**

“Potter, Harry,” called the stern professor at the front of the hall. 

The hall went completely silent for a moment and then the whispering started. The entire population of Hogwarts watched a fairly tall, well-built first year with messy dark hair and bright green eyes walk toward the front of the room. Wasn’t Harry Potter supposed to have glasses?

He sat, and the hat dropped over his head. And they waited.

Slytherin was ready to sneer as the ‘golden boy’ was sorted into Gryffindor. Where else could the savior of the wizarding word be sorted? Of course, if he was sorted into the house of snakes that would be brilliant.

And they waited.

Ravenclaw was attempting to show disinterest; fame and fans would be a distraction for their house after all. Of course, the Boy-Who-Lived should want to learn all he can, so that he wasn’t just famous for living past the age of one, right?

And they waited.

The Hufflepuffs were excited. Another first year to teach and welcome. It didn’t matter to them where he went as long as it was the best place for him and being Puffs, they would welcome anyone with open arms, especially THE Harry Potter.

And they waited.

Gryffindor was electrified. They were barely seated; many were prepared to jump up and cheer when their new house mate joined them. This was Harry Potter after all. If anyone was a Gryffindor, it would be Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. His parents were Gryffindors and nearly all of the Potters had been Gryffindors before them. Heck the only ones who weren’t lions had married into the Potter family. He just had to join them.

And they waited.

The teachers were stunned. Harry Potter, a hat stall? Perhaps the wizarding world was wrong to assume he would be just like his parents. 

The head of Ravenclaw thought that perhaps the boy would take after his mother and be a brilliant student, which would make him perfect for his house. 

The head of Slytherin house was praying to any and every deity he could think of, though he did not believe in any, that the boy was not sorted into his house. He would wait and see before he judged him though. 

The head of Hufflepuff house just smiled; good, now people would stop seeing the boy as some overly powerful chosen savior instead of an eleven-year-old boy.

The head of Gryffindor was both nervous and happy. Yes, she wanted Harry in her house, but she wanted him there because that was where he belonged and because it was where he would find acceptance. After meeting him she wasn’t sure where he would fit best. 

The Headmaster was seething. He told that blasted hat that Harry Potter was a Gryffindor. Everyone knew that, so why was it taking so long? The boy had a role to play after all. 

And they waited.

The students were beginning to shift in their seats. They couldn’t start talking, they might miss it, but just sitting and waiting was starting to fray their nerves. You could even see some of the Slytherins starting to crack, though only the younger years.

And they waited.

The first years yet to be sorted were starting to worry. What if the hat took so long, they didn’t have time to sort the rest of them? Would they still get to eat dinner?

And they waited.

The hat shifted, and the occupants of the hall all leaned in closer.

“Better be…”


	2. September

**4 Privet Drive**

Petunia Dursley sighed. The house was too quiet. It had been strange waking up and not finding Harry, already dressed for the day, reading one of his books. He was an early riser, he got up before she did most of the time.

Even with the puppy things were still too quiet. What had she been thinking, allowing Dudley to get a dog? 

There was no conversation while making dinner. There was little to no conversation over meals. Dudley and Vernon didn’t help cook, Dudley tried for a while but she had banned him from the kitchen when he caught the bacon on fire and then tried to put it out with paper towels. Vernon just didn’t cook. Her husband and son were also far too serious about their food, there was just no talking when there was food left on their plates. 

The puppy started barking again, okay maybe too quiet wasn’t the right description, it was just the wrong sort of noise. 

“Dudley,” Petunia called, “It sounds like Beans needs to go out.” If that dog relieved itself on her floor one more time today, she would probably scream.

“Okay, mom,” Dudley swung through the kitchen, the puppy held in his arms attempting to lick his face, walking toward the back yard. 

“Try to keep Beans from digging up my roses. Your cousin and I worked hard to make them look like that.”

“I’ll try, mom.”

Her roses were going to die. Her yard was going to be a mess. The only bright side, puppy droppings would be good fertilizer. 

About 15 minutes later Dudley came back in, the puppy at his feet this time, and a very familiar owl on his shoulder. “It looks like Harry wrote us a letter.”

She rounded the corner and untied the letter from the owl’s leg. “Let’s see what he has to say shall we?”

_ Dear Aunt Petunia (and Dudley if he is interested), _

_Class doesn’t officially start until tomorrow but I have so much to tell you already that I thought I would send my first letter now. Hogwarts is amazing. The first time I saw it I was on a little boat drifting over the lake, this is how all first years are introduced to the castle. It was amazing. The castle is huge and was lit by torches and moonlight. Truly spectacular!_

_The only real things I’ve seen so far inside the castle are the Great Hall and my house dormitory. The Great Hall is huge! There are 4 house tables running the length of the room and then there is the head table that is sitting on a raised platform. Perhaps the most amazing part is the ceiling, I know I read in Hogwarts: A History that the ceiling is enchanted to look like the sky but it is a whole other thing seeing it in person. The entire hall is lit by floating candles that sit just below the clouds._

_Did you know ghosts are real? I saw a number of them last night and apparently each house has a house ghost._

_Speaking of houses, first years are sorted by a hat. This hat looks into your head and picks where to put you based on your most prominent personality traits. It was strange and apparently the hat took longer to sort me than anyone else, it did seem to take a lot of time but I just figured that it felt like a lot of time and that things were actually moving much quicker outside my head._

_The hat took longer to sort me because he said that honestly, I would fit into any house. You do remember what the houses look for right? Well, apparently, I am ambitious, intelligent, loyal and brave so we had to discuss my goals and then slowly eliminate each house. I was sorted into Ravenclaw, which the hat confided he almost sorted mom into. The hat felt that while I may do well in all houses my goal of making my parents proud and proving myself would be easiest if I focus on finding my own niche. He said that the best way for me to do that was to study hard and learn all I can, which is what I had planned to do, but the only house that would truly allow me to do that is Ravenclaw._

_Even though I was sorted into Ravenclaw I plan on using the teachings of all houses. I also plan to befriend students of all houses._

_Neville was sorted into Gryffindor, apparently that is where his parents were sorted and all he really wants is to make them proud and be just like them. We met up for breakfast and he confided that the hat suggested he would also have made a fine Hufflepuff and had a decent mind but his focus was not on gaining knowledge so much as being like his parents, which apparently means being brave and chivalrous._

_Do you remember that Granger girl from the scholastic competition last year? Well she is a witch attending Hogwarts too. Obviously, she was sorted into Ravenclaw, where else could the top student in my elementary year be sorted? She seemed a little disgruntled about it though. I wonder why._

_Also joining the ranks from the modern world is Dean Thomas. I have played against him a few times over the years. He is that really good Goalie that always gives me so much trouble. Anyway, he was sorted into Gryffindor, which is no surprise to me at all. Hopefully with Dean here I can still play football, at the very least I can practice my PKs. I’ll have to talk to him soon._

_Do you know of a family named Finch-Fletchley? The name sounds really familiar to me and a boy by that name was sorted into Hufflepuff. I just can’t put my finger on where I’ve heard the name, he doesn’t look familiar so I don’t think we’ve met but I still feel like I should know who he is._

_I found proof that identical twins can be totally different people last night. There are twin girls, Padma and Parvati Patil, and they were sorted into different houses. Padma is a Ravenclaw and Parvati is a Gryffindor. It will be interesting to see what they are like. (Of course, I think I also saw proof of identical twins that are so alike they are basically the same person too. There are these red headed twins in Gryffindor that literally said the same thing at the same time)._

_So, in my year in my house there are 7 boys and 7 girls. Oddly enough all houses have 7 and 7. We have Hermione, Padma, Sue Li, Mandy Brocklehurst, Christina Olsen, Victoria Smith and Lisa Turpin for the girls, Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, Oliver Rivers, Zachary Bowline, Nathaniel Whitman and Myself._

_There are 2 dorm rooms for the boys in my year group. I am rooming with Terry and Anthony. Apparently in third year we will be rooming in 2s and the top student in each gender gets their own room. I love our house colors, blue and bronze. We all have four-poster beds with blue curtains and all the furniture is done in richly polished wood. I get a bedside table, a desk with a small shelving system over it. The room is a bit cramped but there is a great study area in the common room with an amazing variety of reference books that I suspect will be a great help in getting homework done._

_My head of house is a really small man by the name of Filius Flitwick, and when I say small, I mean small. One of the older years said he was part goblin like the bankers. He held a house meeting after the feast last night to both introduce himself as well as the Prefects, there are 6, 2 in each 5_ _th_ _, 6_ _th_ _and 7_ _th_ _year classes._

_Don’t worry Aunt Petunia, I unpacked all of my books and study supplies already. I will have everything organized to fit my schedule as soon as I finish this letter. Did I remember to thank you for suggesting I get some regular notebooks and folders for my notes? I think it’s really going to help. Plus, with the pens I bought I can write my class notes and rough drafts without worrying about splattering, quills are going to be really annoying._

_Today we were escorted down to the Great Hall and then handed our schedules. After breakfast the fifth year Prefects escorted us to each of our classes. We won’t attend every class every day but for today we were shown the way to class and given an introduction from each Professor. I can already tell that my Potions and Transfiguration teachers will be the toughest to please. Unfortunately, History and Defense look like they are going to be a disappointment. The History teacher is a ghost and he is just plain boring, how can someone make history boring? The Defense Professor will make the course a challenge as he is incredibly hard to understand most of the time. He stutters, a lot. I had a headache by the end of the half hour introduction._

_ We were done by lunch and now are free to do as we please. Neville and I plan on doing some exploring and Cedric Diggory, a 3 _ _ rd _ _ year boy in Hufflepuff I met at King’s Cross yesterday, said he would show us around; he promised to show us some shortcuts too. Of course, not to be outdone by a Puff, Roger Davies, a Ravenclaw third year and rival/friend of Cedric’s, will be coming along to show us _ **_other_ ** _ shortcuts. _

_I can’t wait to start classes. Potions looks so interesting. Charms and Transfiguration look to be the most magic intensive classes so those are bound to be great. Then there is Herbology, you know how much I like working in the garden with you. The Defense text looks fascinating but like I said the Professor may just kill that class for me. I don’t know, I think it all looks amazing._

_On another note the Headmaster seems really odd. Before we started eating, he said a few random worlds then told us to tuck in. The most bizarre part though was during his post feast announcements. I understand warning the students away from the Forbidden forest, they are outside the castle’s wards and technically off school grounds, plus there are some dangerous animals in there. All of that was in Hogwarts: A History, but he also warned us away from a particular corridor. He said something about it being out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a painful death. At first, I thought it was a joke but the older students indicated that he was serious. I’m not sure what to do with that._

_Oh, another strange thing happened at the feast last night. I got a sharp pain in my scar while I was eating. It was gone as soon as it happened but it still hurt. I have no idea what caused it and it has never happened before. Do you think I should tell someone?_

_Anyway, I should end this here. My roommates are starting to wake up and that means we are expected in the common room shortly. (Yeah it looks like I am going to be the first one up here too)._

_With Love,_

_Harry_

_ P.S. I really hate this famous thing. The other students are just as bad as those people in Diagon Alley. They were all whispering and staring when my name was called for me to be sorted last night. Don’t they realize it is stupid to be famous for living when the rest of your family died? _

_ P.P.S. Hedwig is probably the smartest owl in the world, I brought my letter down with me when I went to meet the other guys, hoping they would show me the Owlery at some point, and she just swooped down and held out her leg. Somehow, she knew I had a letter to send!! _

“It sounds like he is having fun already, mom.”

“Yes, it does. Would you like to send him a letter, Dudley?” 

“Yeah, I have a lot to tell him about Beans.”

“Alright, then would you grab me some paper and a pen so I can write one too?”

“Sure thing, mom.” Dudley brought her what she requested then left the room to write his letter in his room.

Petunia was both happy and concerned. She was ecstatic that Harry was so excited and happy about how things were going. She loved that he had a football buddy and that the Granger girl was there to challenge him. It concerned her greatly that a headmaster would warn students away from a corridor and claim death as a consequence. 

She would reserve judgement on his scar pains and advise him to tell either the nurse, his head of house or that McGonagall woman if it happened again. 

Of course, she knew the name Finch-Fletchley. Martin Finch-Fletchley was a very high-profile barrister who was also related to the queen, distantly but close enough that it was brought up every time he happened to be on the news.

The identical twins paragraph made her laugh. She had no idea what his obsession with the subject was but he wanted to know which theories were true and which were false. It sounded like he had a new ‘pet’ project to research on the side now that he actually had subjects to study.

**Somewhere in Hogwarts**

Harry and Neville were exploring again. They had been at Hogwarts for two weeks now and had decided that they would get out and look around the amazing castle every Sunday. 

Classes were going alright. Transfiguration looked like it was a tougher course, but so far, he was doing alright. He and Hermione had managed to change their matches a little bit in the first class. Hermione’s was silver and a little pointy, Harry’s was almost the right shape but was somewhere between wood colored and gray. Charms class was probably Harry’s favorite, they were working through some really easy spells,  _ Lumos  _ and the like, and in that class, he was taking to magic like a fish to water.

No one seemed to be a fan of Astronomy, though that could have something to do with the fact that the class was held late at night and everyone was tired. He had been correct about both Defense and History. Neither class was fun. Most students took a nap during History as Binns droned on and on in that monotone voice, how in the world did he make Goblin Wars boring? Harry ended up with a headache after every Defense class. The stuttering was exceptionally irritating.

Neville LOVED Herbology. He was so natural around the plants. Harry liked it too but would never be able to surpass Neville’s genius in the green house. 

Potions was the one class he wasn’t sure about. He liked the practical work, it was like chemistry in a way, and he found the information and reactions fascinating. What he wasn’t sure about was Professor Snape. The man seemed to dislike most people, students in particular, but he knew his stuff. Their first actual class, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, he paused at Harry’s name as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He had just said Harry’s name and moved on. Neville said he was much the same in the Gryffindor/Slytherin class but had been rather cross with Ron when he had melted a caldron because he forgot to take it off the heat BEFORE adding the porcupine quills. Harry had gotten a nod for his potion, he thought that was about as good as you were ever going to get with the man. Neville had gotten a similar reaction. 

Neville had been ridiculously nervous for Potions. Harry had the class first and talked his friend down. He had told Neville to study the first 2 chapters before class, as there might be a quiz on the information listed there, and to pay attention to the instructions. Harry had also pointed out that many of the potion ingredients were plants that they would be studying in Herbology so Neville should have a great understanding of how half of it worked already.

After the first week, Harry and Neville had decided they should study together. Neither were particularly close to anyone in their dorm so they decided to skip their dorm mates and study together. So, they got together Tuesday and Thursday nights, as well as Saturday afternoons. Sundays were for unfinished essays and exploring, at least for now. 

The final course they had attended was flying lessons. Harry had absolutely loved it. Getting on a broom for the first time had felt like coming home. For some reason Harry had just known what he was doing. By the end of the lesson Madam Hooch had allowed him to test himself, as long as he didn’t go too high. It was the most amazing experience of his young life. Neville had not loved flying but he had survived. Luckily Harry had had his flying lesson first so Harry had given Neville some tips. The most important was to breathe. Neville knew he would never play quidditch or even really just go flying but if there was no option, he could use a broom to get where he needed to go. Their flying lessons had been held a few days ago, Thursday and Friday respectively. 

Now it was Sunday and the two first years were somewhere on the second floor, at least that was where they thought they were. Cedric and Roger had shown them around but they were rivals on the quidditch pitch, so, unfortunately, that meant they liked to argue and everything was a competition. Harry and Neville had walked away from that first day utterly confused. 

“Why, what do we have here, Georgie?”

“It seems we have a pair of first-years, Freddie.”

Harry and Neville turned and came face to face with the Weasley twins. 

“Harry Potter, a true natural talent on a broom and Neville Longbottom the genius of Herbology,” one twin said.

“Now what could they be doing wandering the halls?” the other twin questioned.

“Hey, Fred, George,” said Neville. “We were just trying to learn the castle. We got some conflicting advice the other day.”

“Conflicting advice you say?”

“Now who would confuse two poor firsties?”

“Well, it seems that Cedric and Roger like to outdo each other.” Harry smiled, “and that led to numerous arguments over the best ways to get around the castle.”

“Oh, no, this isn’t good, boys.”

“You can’t go to those two to learn the castle.”

“No one knows her better than we do.”

The twins exchanged glances, “We, the Weasley twins,” started one.

“Would like to offer you our vast knowledge and expertise,” continued the other.

“In learning the many shortcuts of the castle.” They finished together.

“And what’s in it for you?” asked Harry. The twins were funny but he assumed that they didn’t do anything for free.

“Not sure yet,” one grinned.

“But it might be useful having a Potter and a Longbottom owe us one.”

Neville straightened up, “There would have to be limits to what you could ask us to do.”

“Of course, we would probably only ask for an alibi or help scouting a target. Nothing that would cause you harm.”

“We will also leave our dear brother Ron out of it too. Seeing as neither of you can stand him.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at Neville, who shrugged in response. 

“I would like to stipulate that should you further confuse us that we owe you nothing.”

“We can do that.”

“Then lead the way, Weasley twins,” Harry said gesturing down the hall.

Neville and Harry enjoyed the Weasley tour of the castle. The twins were very informative and gave great advice to cut down on travel time, and they did it with both common rooms in mind, not just their own. Neville’s favorite secret was the location and trick to entering the kitchens. Harry just liked all the hidden passageways.

“Say, Fred,”

“Yes, George.”

“I have been wondering,”

“What has changed about that particular third floor corridor?”

“Exactly, Fred.”

“Are you suggesting that we check it out, with the firsties?”

“That I am. Well, as long as they agree that is.”

“What do you say boys?”

“Do you want to check out the forbidden corridor on the third floor?”

Harry and Neville shared a look. Neville’s gaze was questioning and a little scared. Harry shrugged; he was curious as to why the corridor was off limits. “I wouldn’t mind,” said Harry.

“But it’s forbidden,” replied Neville.

“Well, I don’t know about the Wizarding world, but a warning like that would have been an open invitation for curious students with a sense of adventure at my old school. I personally see it as the headmaster asking students to check it out.”

“I like Potter, Fred.”

“As do I, George. He has the heart of a true prankster.”

“He may have the heart of a Marauder.”

“We will have to test him further before we show him.”

“Of course, but he is closer than anyone we have ever met. We haven’t even considered showing Lee.”

“True.” As one the twins looked back at the younger boys. “So, what will it be, Mister Longbottom? Are you up for an adventure?”

Neville rolled his eyes at their hopeful gazes. “Oh, why not. Lead the way, oh Terrible Two.”

“He called us the ‘Terrible Two,’ George.”

“That he did, Fred.”

“Such a sweet boy.”

“Such a great compliment.”

The twins swooped down on the first years, each throwing an arm around one of the younger boys’ shoulders. “We are going to be great friends,” they said in unison, leading the way toward a hidden passage that would take them to the third floor.

Not five minutes later, the four boys strode into the forbidden corridor. “Hmm, it’s very poorly lit isn’t it?”

“Yes,” said one of the twins, “It would be great for pranks.” The other twin nodded.

“I wonder what is behind that door,” Harry said, pointing at the door at the end of the hall. 

“I suppose we should check it out,” Neville said, slightly sarcastically.

“Let’s do it.” The twins said in unison dragging the first years down the hall.

“Locked,” Fred muttered, or at least the first years thought it was Fred. “ _ Alohamora _ ,” he muttered, pointing his wand at the lock.

Surprisingly, the lock popped open and the door slid slightly ajar. The twins, and Harry, grinned. 

George, who had his arm around Harry, stepped in first, followed closely by Fred, who was basically dragging Neville at this point. Fred and Neville ran into their friends as soon as they cleared the door frame.

“George, why did you stop?”

Harry pointed forward. Every eye followed his finger. 

“That is one big dog.”

“Biggest understatement in the history of understatements, Fred,” Neville said while backing up.

“I think it’s time to go,” Harry was also backing away. 

Fred and Neville cleared the door.

George and Harry cleared the door.

George slammed the door shut.

Fred performed a locking charm.

Four boys ran for their lives, not looking back once.

After that day, Harry, Neville and the twins spent a great deal of time together. They did not, however, talk about the giant, three-headed dog standing over a trap door in the forbidden corridor on the third floor.

**Hogwarts, Charms Class, Ravenclaw/Slytherin**

Classes had been going well so far. It was the first week of October and Harry was really starting to get the hang of all of this. He wasn’t really all that close with any of his Ravenclaw year mates but he and Neville were now best friends. The boys in his dorm had sort of paired up; Michael and Anthony hung out, while Terry and Oliver were thick as thieves, Zachary and Nathaniel were attached at the hip. The same had happened with the girls; Sue and Padma were close while Lisa had latched onto Mandy; Christina and Victoria had no time for anyone but each other. That left Hermione. He was starting to worry about Hermione. She was always alone.

He was also starting to worry about what he was hearing. Right now, it was just the slower students and the snobs but students were starting to complain about her attitude. Harry really didn’t want her to be an outcast before their schooling had really begun. 

Now they were in class and Professor Flitwick was asking questions about the reading homework. Hermione had been the first person with her hand in the air for the first question. And for the second. And for the third. Harry looked around the room subtly. Classes with the Slytherins were the worst. They glared at her openly. The Parkinson girl and Malfoy were the most vicious. He thought he might have seen concern in the Zabini boy’s eyes and the Greengrass girl didn’t seem angry so much as sad or resigned, he wasn’t entirely sure.

Hermione went to raise her hand but found her hand held down on the table by Harry. She looked at him and he gave her a slight shake of his head. He slid a small piece of paper across the table toward her –  _ After class. _

She frowned and nodded. Why didn’t he want her to raise her hand?

Harry scanned the room again. Oddly enough, he got an approving nod from Zabini, Greengrass, Terry, Padma and Flitwick. So, the teachers were starting to notice too.

After class Hermione led Harry into an alcove, “Okay, Potter, do you mind telling me why you kept me from raising my hand in class?”

Harry sighed. “Hermione, you know that I know you know all the answers, right?”

She was slightly confused by his question and the confusing wording, but nodded. Harry was like she was when it came to studying. They read ahead so as to prepare for class and that way they knew ahead of time if there was a section, they were having trouble with. Of course, she read farther ahead but that wasn’t the point. 

“Okay, then by now I’m sure that the professors are at least aware of the fact that you are ALWAYS prepared for class. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Again, she nodded, teachers usually figured that out after about a week of having her in class.

“Great, then are you aware that class time is not a competition?”

Hermione rolled her eyes and just stared at him.

“Good, so you know that you aren’t going to get a trophy for answering all the questions.”

“Yes, Harry, but what is your point,” She was getting frustrated. 

Harry held up his hands, “I’m not trying to upset or anger you, Hermione, but I am trying to make a point.”

“So, make it already, Harry, I have studying to do.”

“Hermione, your incessant hand waving is starting to irritate some of the other students.”

“Well, they should raise their hands too then.”

“They do, Hermione. You just wave yours about in a way that draws so much attention that the professors miss some of the others. I’m not saying you can’t answer questions in class, I'm just asking that you moderate.” He stopped to see if she was comprehending what he was saying, he wasn’t sure so he kept going. “If a professor asks a specific person a question don’t raise your hand, give that student a chance to answer the teacher. Or if the teacher asks a lot of questions don’t raise your hand for EVERY question, just one. If no one else is answering, then by all means raise your hand but please, Hermione, don’t shove the fact that you have all the answers down everyone’s throats.”

“So, you’re just like everyone else I have ever gone to school with. You think I am a buck-toothed know-it-all!” there were tears forming in her eyes.

Hermione moved to push past him but Harry grabbed her shoulders. “No, Hermione, I don’t think that. To be honest, I love the competition and the fact that I know you are going to push me even harder to be the best student I can but that doesn’t mean that others aren’t starting to get disgruntled. It isn’t everyone but we are starting to hear things.”

“Who’s ‘we’?” she asked.

“Neville took me aside after Herbology because he has heard a few of the weaker students in Gryffindor grumbling, mostly the noisy redhead but he said something about that Lavender girl too. Cedric has heard some things coming from the first year Puffs, you shouldn’t worry about them because he talked to them and told them to give it a rest, but there was still talk. And you can’t tell me you have missed the glares that most of the Slytherins throw at you when you answer one question right.” Harry paused to make sure she was looking at him. “The stupid prats are calling you a know-it-all; the others are just upset that they never get a chance to earn house points because you are the only one the teachers notice.”

Hermione whipped at her eyes to make sure there were no tears. “I’m not trying to earn all the points, I just want the teachers to know that I take my education seriously. I want to prove to all of the magical raised kids that I won’t hold them back even though I didn’t grow up around magic.”

“I know. I feel the same way. I feel like I’m at a disadvantage because I grew up in Little Whinging and I couldn’t talk about magic because it makes my aunt nervous and my uncle’s skin crawl. And, Hermione, I have it worse. I’m the boy-who-lived and apparently that means I am supposed to know EVERYTHING, all because I didn’t die.”

Hermione looked down at her feet for a moment. “I can still answer questions?”

“Yes, of course you can. I would just suggest that you don’t answer the first one and please don’t raise your hand for every question.”

“I can do that.”

“Great. Now, the other reason I wanted to talk to you, would you like to join Neville and me in a small study group?”

“You want to study with me?”

“Well yeah, why wouldn’t I?”

“No one ever wants to study with me. I have been told I am rather bossy.”

“I don’t know about bossy but I do know that you are exceptionally smart and I think you will be a great help with research. Neville and I both feel the same way you do, like we have something to prove, so I think we would make a great group.”

“I would really love that, Harry.”

“Great, I was planning on meeting him about 5 minutes ago in the library to go over the Herbology assignment. Would you like to join us now?”

“That would be great, Harry. I haven’t started that one yet and I think Neville’s expertise will be needed for this one.”

Harry smiled and offered her his hand. “Shall we?”

She nodded and took his hand. For the first time Hermione didn’t think school was going to be a lonely time for her. It looked like she may have just made a friend.


	3. October

**Professor Flitwick’s Office**

“Please, come in, Mister Potter. Take a seat.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

“Now, as you know, from the posting in the common room, I meet with all first-year students to see how they are adjusting after the first month of classes. I feel meeting them any sooner doesn’t give them the chance to find their way, but waiting any long leaves them at a disadvantage if they do need assistance.” Flitwick smiled kindly. “You seem to be doing very well in your classes so far, Mister Potter. From all reports you seem to be one of the top students of the year. I do hope you keep up the hard work. Your mother would be proud of the quality of your assignments.”

“Thank you, Professor. I think I can manage. I always strive to do my best in school. I like knowing new things and magic is so fascinating.”

“Glad to hear it. Now I have noticed that you don’t seem particularly close to any of your dorm mates. You all seem to get along well enough but you aren’t part of the group per se. Are you having any problems in the common room?”

“No, Professor. I will admit that as a group we don’t really share many interests and we did sort of drift into our own little groups. I’m not lonely though. I get along well with just about everyone.”

“It has been well noted that you have formed a strong bond with Mister Longbottom, so I think you will be fine but I did want to make sure that all was well in your dorm.” Flitwick paused and took a deep breath. “Now, I would like to thank you for whatever you said to Miss Granger. She did not seem to be settling in at all until after you spoke to her. The other Professors and I were very aware of the trouble brewing from her need to prove herself but were unsure how to handle that, most students that react in that way generally back off after about two weeks. No teacher should ever have to tell a student not to study or not ask or answer questions.”

Harry nodded, “I can understand that, Sir. I was approached by Neville and Cedric about some things that were being said in their common rooms and thought it would be best coming from me. Hermione and I had met a few times because of some elementary school academic competitions so she and I are at least somewhat familiar with each other. We are also both coming in to this having no experience with magic before we got our letters. Being academic overachievers, we understand each other.”

“Yes, you do seem to have similar study habits.”

“I knew as soon as I saw her at the sorting that Hermione would be top of the class, that is just the way she is but unfortunately, she doesn’t really see the other side. My cousin is a student who struggles in school so I know from helping him that students like Hermione frustrate him because they are so focused on proving they know what they are doing, that they don’t notice the person who is falling behind.” 

“I would like to ask you to look out for her, Mister Potter. I think you are already doing that but I think you have something very important you can teach her. You can teach her how to have fun. Something I think she has missed out on up to this point.”

“I was already planning on it, professor. In fact, I have managed to talk her into helping Dean and me explain Football to all of these magical born quidditch fanatics. I’m hoping to get her to play with us.”

Flitwick laughed, “That should be quite amusing. Most students raised around magic don’t do much running so I fear those of you who were raised in the mundane world will run circles around your peers.”

“You know Football, Professor?”

“Oh yes, Mister Potter. I like knowing all about my students. A good number of those raised in the mundane world come in raving about Football. It is actually a rather interesting game and much easier to follow than quidditch.”

Professor Flitwick looked through his papers then stacked them back into the file. “I believe that is all I had for now. Is there anything you would like to ask me?”

Harry thought for a second, “Two things, I noticed there was a notice for quidditch tryouts on the board in the common room but the team already had tryouts.”

“Ah, yes, the original tryout was for the actual team. This tryout is for the team’s reserve players. This tryout is open to all students, including first years that are cleared by Madam Hooch. Ravenclaw keeps a reserve team in case of injury or a student having personal issues keeping them from playing. They also field a reserve team to train students for when the older students graduate. If you are interested, I think you should try out. Madam Hooch says you are the most natural flier she has ever seen and I remember your father being a great Chaser during his time at Hogwarts.”

Harry smiled brightly. He loved it when teachers let slip little things about his parents. “I think I may just do that, Professor.”

“And your other question?”

“I don’t want to complain, but is History going to get any better?” Harry saw the Professor start to open his mouth but felt the need to explain further. “I love history in general. It is fascinating to see what things led to creating the current society but unfortunately Professor Binns appears to have no passion for the subject. He just drones on and on in the same monotone about the same topic every day.” Harry slumped a bit, “Most students from the other houses take a nap. The Claws and the top students from the other houses have turned it into a study session. The only person who actually still pays attention and takes notes is Hermione. I listen with half an ear and note down what sounds important for me to look up later.”

Professor Flitwick sighed, “This has been brought up to me before, almost yearly. Professor Binns has been teaching longer than anyone in the school has been alive. The Headmaster refuses to even talk to him and he ignores the other Professors. Normally, I would not complain about another Professors’ teaching methods but I remember being frustrated when I was a student. All I can authorize is that you continue to use it as a study period. I have a study guide for the end of year exam that I hand out later in the year to all my students.” He smiled somewhat sadly, “I am sorry I can’t do more but the Headmaster doesn’t view the complaints of a few top students as important enough to do anything about Binns’s lack of teaching.”

“It’s all right Professor, I will continue on as I have been,” he said. Internally, he was starting to get an idea. He would have to talk to Neville and Hermione about it later.

“Well, thank you for coming in and working so hard, Mister Potter. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to come talk to me. My door is always open to you students.” 

Harry stood, “thank you, Professor.”

Filius Flitwick smiled as he watched Harry Potter walk out of his office. He had been ecstatic when Harry had been sorted into Ravenclaw. Now he was even more pleased. Harry was one of those rare Ravenclaws that actually had the ability to look at life beyond knowledge. Filius knew that Harry would eventually surpass Miss Granger as the top student because he knew how to set studying aside and relax. Harry would weather the stress of exams much better than the others in his year group; Miss Granger would probably be one of those students who ended up in the Hospital wing in need of a Calming draught. He hoped Harry could teach her how to relax.

**Hogwarts Grounds**

Harry, Neville and Hermione were walking around the Black Lake talking. “So, Professor Flitwick has meetings with all students?”

“Yeah, he does,” answered Hermione. “It was nice. We got the opportunity to see where we were and bring up any concerns we had.”

“Does Professor McGonagall meet with the Gryffindors?”

“No, not like that, she tells us her office hours and asks that we go to her if we have problems or question. She also posts a bunch of notices on the board in the common room but basically no one reads them. Oddly enough, the twins are the only ones besides the Prefects who read it, though I think they do that to plan their pranks around events but they still read the notices.”

“Harry, what did Professor Flitwick say about the quidditch tryout notice that just got put up?”

“It’s a tryout for the reserve team.”

“Ravenclaw has a reserve team?” asked Neville.

“Yeah, apparently they have one for covering emergencies and to train up replacements for following years.”

“Maybe I should suggest Oliver Wood does that, it’s a good idea. But Oliver is crazy so keeping the quidditch stress down to six people is probably a good thing.”

“Not going to argue about that, the twins keep showing up to bug me because they are avoiding Oliver, they think they are safe hiding with me because I’m a Ravenclaw. The only problem with that is they sometimes show up in the library and then irritate Hermione,” Harry grinned at the girl who, very maturely, stuck her tongue out at him.

“So, are you going to try out for the reserve team, Harry?” asked Hermione. “You were very natural in flying class and you said that you feel so free on a broom.”

Harry shrugged, “I don’t know. I don’t really know that much about quidditch but I do love to fly.”

“I think you would be a great chaser or seeker,” Neville added. “Chasers are a bit like your Football scorers, at least they sound similar, and seekers are all about speed and maneuverability.” He smiled at their surprise, “I may not like flying but like all magical kids I know what quidditch is. All I’m saying is that you should consider it.”

“He doesn’t have a broom.”

“Professor Flitwick said that a Ravenclaw alumnus donated a set of Cleansweeps to the team for the use of the team or reserve team if a player can’t afford a broom.”

“Okay, that ends my objections.” Hermione smiled, “I think you would be great too. You were the best in flying lessons and I got the impression that you knew what to do the second your feet left the ground, despite never flying before.”

Harry smiled at his friends. He did love to fly. “It wouldn’t hurt to try out and I do love team sports. If I make the team, I can honestly say that I play the world’s two most popular sports. That reminds me, I really need to find somewhere to run when it gets cold around here. The mornings are already pretty cold and I don’t think I can continue to run around the lake after another week or so.”

“You run around the lake?” Hermione asked.

“Every morning. I got in the habit of running every day when I joined the school football team, it’s great for the stamina. I don’t want to lose my edge just because Hogwarts doesn’t offer physical education.”

“If you find a place to run indoors, I think I’ll join you a few times a week. My father always insisted I exercise three times a week, I’ve been feeling a bit off not doing any exercise the last month.”

Harry looked out over the water, “I wonder if building your stamina helps with magic.”

“I don’t think it would hurt,” Hermione tilted her head in thought, “I think it’s like anything else, the better your stamina the farther you can go.”

Neville’s eyes widened, “It would be really important in a duel. There are different styles of dueling but the most successful duelers are the ones who focus on dodging instead of shielding. You waste time and energy shielding because you can’t cast with a shield in place.”

“I am definitely going to start exercising again.”

“I think I’ll be joining you.”

Harry smiled at his friends. “Awesome. Dean saw me come in from running this morning and asked what time I started and if I ran every morning. I think he is going to start too.”

The three continued walking around the lake. Harry picked up a stone and skipped it across the still surface of the lake. “I think we should start practicing our spell work after we finish our reading and homework.”

“Why do you say that, Harry?”

“I get the feeling that our magic is like a muscle. The best way to achieve something is to work that muscle. If you practice enough then your muscles start to react automatically and you don’t have to work as hard. Wouldn’t it be better to be able to cast a spell without concentrating solely on the spell? If you practice then the smallest noise isn’t going to mess up your transfiguration and heightened emotions, like stressing about an exam, shouldn’t affect your casting as much either.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Neville mused. 

“Brilliant, Harry! We should set aside a half hour after our writing study time to practice our spell work. We will practice a spell until we can perform it without mistake. We could make ten times in a row our goal.”

“I did have something that I wanted to talk to you two about. I asked Professor Flitwick about History, wondering if the class changes at all.”

“What did he say?” Neville wondered.

“Essentially, Binns is Binns and that is what we get to look forward to for however long we take History of Magic.”

“Great,” the other boy said sarcastically.

“What are you thinking, Harry?”

“Professor Flitwick has gotten complaints from students over the years but apparently the Headmaster doesn’t view one or two students complaining as important.”

“But, what if most of the school complained about it?” Hermione grinned at Harry.

“Explain your idea to the none Ravenclaw please.”

Harry smiled at Neville, “We could draft a petition and get other students to sign it, agreeing that the History of Magic class is subpar and that we want changes to be made to bring the class standards to an acceptable level.”

“We would then present the petition to the teachers and Headmaster. If most of the school agrees that something needs to be done, then he can’t ignore it.”

Neville nodded, “And if he tried, we could send a copy of the petition to the board of governors.”

“Brilliant, Neville.” 

“I’ll start drafting the petition.”

“And we,” Harry said indicating Neville, “can start talking to some of the other students and see if they would be interested.”

They completed their circuit of the lake a few minutes later. “Lunch should be starting soon.”

The Ravenclaw students nodded. “Would you like to sit with us, Neville?” asked Hermione. They tended to sit at different tables during lunches.

“Yeah, I want to see how Chang makes a fool of herself trying to get Harry’s attention.” Cho Chang had been strange. She was constantly trying to get Harry to notice her. Neville knew that her father wanted her to marry well considering they were a foreign family and therefore lacked political influence but she was going about it all the wrong way. Plus, it was hilarious. 

The three were attempting to stifle laughter as Chang walked away after her daily visit. Today, she had approached from the opposite side of the table from Harry, just to the side of Neville. When she had leaned in to get closer, she had put her hands on the table, the only problem was she stuck one of her hands on the butter dish, covering herself in butter. To make things more humiliating for her she had knocked over a pitcher of juice when she quickly straightened, staining her white blouse orange in the process.

Dean, dragging Justin Finch-Fletchley, walked up snickering. “She gets funnier every day.”

Harry and Neville just grinned while Hermione attempted to look on in disapproval, she failed.

“What can we do for you, Dean?” asked Harry.

“I was wondering if you would like to put together a pick-up game tomorrow.” Dean slide onto the bench opposite Harry, Justin sat next to him.

“Sure, ask around and we’ll set up for after lunch tomorrow.”

“Great.” He took a bite of a sandwich, “Justin said he would play, claims he’s terrible but likes to play anyway. I told him it shouldn’t matter as all the magical raised kids don’t even know what football is.”

“Don’t worry, Justin,” Hermione smiled at the other boy, “I’m terrible too. I can run but put a ball at my feet and suddenly I don’t know how to run anymore.”

“I have the same problem; I trip over my own feet when I try to dribble the ball.” He took a much more dignified bit of his sandwich and made sure he had swallowed before continuing. “Perhaps you can shed some light on something for me.” The three friends nodded. “Did you notice that the fifth- and seventh-year students seemed very stressed out the first few weeks of class?”

They all nodded, “Yes, they were. Though some of the Ravenclaw ones are still stressed just not as noticeably,” Hermione said.

“Why were they stressing out? It’s the beginning of the school year.”

“NEWTs and OWLs,” Neville said simply.

“What are those,” asked Dean.

“They are ministry sanctioned standardized tests that essentially tell you what you are qualified for.” Neville shrugged.

“OWLs are Ordinary Wizarding Levels,” Hermione continued. “That is the fifth-year exam and the test will determine which courses you are qualified to continue in your final two years.”

“NEWTs are the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests and they determine what jobs you qualify for.” Harry smiled slightly.

“I’m sorry, what?” asked Justin. “Did you just say nastily exhausting wizarding tests?”

Harry nodded.

Dean burst out laughing.

“Who named those tests, a five-year-old?” Justin felt a bit insulted. He felt that the tests that determined what jobs he could apply for should at least sound dignified. 

“I asked the same question and no one could tell me, most didn’t even see what was wrong with the name.” Hermione frowned slightly, “the only people who understood my problem with the name were the muggle raised students, the magical raised students thought it made perfect sense.”

“The acronym OWL at least sounds like an important test, the NEWT acronym however is utterly ridiculous,” Justin huffed.

“Did he say ridiculous?”

“I think he did, brother.”

Justin, Dean and Neville turned while Harry and Hermione looked up, to see the Weasley twins standing behind the three visiting boys.

“Now what could the little firsties find ridiculous?”

“Just wizarding tradition,” said Neville with a shrug.

“Which ridiculous wizarding tradition are they commenting on?”

“The acronym NEWT, Fred,” Harry smiled.

“Ah, yes. The silly things we use to name important things,” Fred smiled.

“Yes, sometimes we name…” George trailed off.

“Did little Harry just?”

“Yes, he did.”

“But the only person who ever gets it right is Bill.”

“Mom and Dad guess.”

“Charlie is right about 75% of the time.”

“Percy is wrong 90% of the time.”

“Ron just says ‘hey you’ most of the time.”

“Ginny gets it right about as often as Mom and Dad.”

“Lee is our closest friend and he is wrong as often as he is right.”

“Oliver and the girls are only slightly more accurate then Lee.”

“We have known Harry for less than a month.”

“But he got it right.”

“And he wasn’t guessing.”

Fred and George looked at each other, then rushed around the table. Together, they pulled Harry out of his seat and hugged him between them. “I knew I liked him, Gred,” said Fred.

“He is the bestest person in all the world, Forge,” George fake cried.

“We love you, Harry-kins.”

They let go suddenly then ran around in circles quickly. 

“Which one am I?” asked a twin looking Harry in the eye. 

“Fred.”

They ran out of the Great Hall and ran back a moment later.

“Which twin am I?” one of them panted slightly.

“George.”

“Close your eyes.” George demanded. When Harry did, they shuffled their feet but did not move.

“Now, which twin am I?”

“You are in the exact same spot as before, George.”

The twins lunged at Harry again, hugging him between them. “Can we keep him, George?” asked Fred while stroking Harry’s hair.

“I don’t see why not, Fred. We may have to steal him away from his family though.”

“Leave the First-year alone, Weasleys,” Roger came up to them laughing slightly.

“No can do.”

“Not going to happen Davies.”

“We finally found one.”

“We have searched and searched.”

“It took us years.”

“No one, save our oldest brother Bill, has ever managed to tell us apart.”

“Until today that is.”

“We have decided that Harry is ours.”

“We will let him sleep in the Ravenclaw tower.”

“And allow him to converse with others.”

“Especially Granger and Longbottom, because we like them.”

“But from this day forth, Harry Potter is ours.”

“He is under our protection.”

“He is our brother in all but blood.”

“Harry Potter is now a Weasley twin.” 

“Despite the fact that he is two years younger.”

“And he is far less attractive.”

“He has messy dark hair, not our magnificent red.”

“He does have better eyes.”

“Yes, he does.”

“He is shorter.”

“And he lacks our flair for fun.”

“But Harry Potter is the third Weasley twin!” they said the last together.

“Anyone else have whiplash,” Justin stage whispered. Neville and Dean snorted.

At some unnoticed cue, the twins let go of Harry and straightened. “Well, old chaps, we really must be going.”

“So many things to do, so little time.”

“Have a wonderful day.” The twins skipped out of the Great Hall singing.

“Hermione,” Harry scratched his head, “is that ‘I’ll Be There for You’ by Bon Jovi?”

“Yes, yes, it is.”

“But I didn’t think wizards listened to normal music.”

“I didn’t either. I got the impression they didn’t know any music we would know. I asked around and magical raised students didn’t even know who I was taking about when I mentioned Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, or Queen. They brought up the Weird Sisters and Celestina Warbeck.”

“Muggle music is better.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Harry.”

“Apparently the twins agree with you too,” Neville smiled.

The group went back to their lunches. The muggle raised students humming the melody to ‘I’ll Be There for You.’

**Charms Class Room, October 31 st**

The month of October had been great. The trio had put together their petition and had every single Ravenclaw sign it within twenty-four hours. All of the Hufflepuffs signed it as well. There were very few Gryffindors who didn’t sign and about half of the Slytherins signed, those that didn’t probably would have if Hermione hadn’t drafted it.

While asking students from the other houses to sign Harry had made headway into making friends from other houses. Hufflepuff’s Susan Bones had been added to his list of close acquaintances. Harry really liked the Gryffindor quidditch team, they were great. As for Slytherin, Harry thought he might find friends in Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass. Both had been enthusiastic about the petition, agreeing that the class standards were disappointing. Harry had ended up asking them to join his weekend study sessions.

Perhaps the best part of the month had been the reserve quidditch tryouts. Harry had been named the Ravenclaw reserve seeker. Neville had been right, he had great potential as a chaser and a seeker. 

The beginning of the tryout was a test to see the flying capabilities of those trying out. They were tested on speed and maneuverability; over half of the people who came out were cut at this stage. Next, had been a test to see who was capable of handling the beater’s bats while keeping their seat, Harry had not passed this portion, he was kept around for later trials. Those left were asked what position they were interested in. Those interested in keeper were taken to one side, the chasers and seekers were also separated, a few were like Harry and weren’t sure were given a chance at both. The Ravenclaw team had almost begged Harry to be their reserve seeker, their only other flyer capable of the maneuvers required of a seeker had been Chang and they really didn’t like her as she spent most of the tryout ignoring the snitch and batting her eyelashes at boys with strong political ties. Harry was excited to be the reserve seeker.

Now, it was the one day of the year Harry really didn’t like. Halloween. 

Harry and Hermione enjoyed the lesson that day. The class had gone rather well. By the end, most students had managed to levitate their feathers off their desks. A few students, Harry, Hermione, Terry, Blaise and Daphne, had managed to direct their feathers around the room. Hermione and Harry had both managed on the first try, as they were paired, Hermine had gone first so she was the first to demonstrate the spell. They had each helped the students around them if they were struggling and as they were Ravenclaws, they appreciated the help. 

At the end of class Harry hung back, he wanted to talk to Professor Flitwick and he planned to help the small man collect the feathers.

Hermione left with the other first year Ravenclaws, all of them taking about the lesson. They loved that the spells kept getting more useful.

“I don’t know why they put up with her, Millie, she’s just an upstart Mudblood who doesn’t deserve to be here.” The voice got louder, “You hear that Granger, no one wants you here. Go back to your Mudblood life of savagery.”

The Claws gasped at Pansy’s slur and Hermione ran for it. 

“Hermione, wait,” Sue tried to grab her but she slipped past running.

The Ravenclaws whirled on Pansy but before they could say anything a furious blond in Slytherin green stepped in the way.

“You disgrace the noble house of Slytherin with your foul mouth and lack of respect.” Daphne Greengrass was enraged yet her voice was calm and cold. “Magic is precious and all magical students should be held in equal regard. I know you only attack Granger because you feel inferior to her, which is true. You attack her because she is smarter than you and stronger magically then you are. The fact that you attack her makes you even weaker. The use of that derogatory slur shows just how unintelligent and unimaginative you really are. I for one am embarrassed to be associated with you. Heiress Greengrass can no longer consider you an acquaintance. You, daughter of Parkinson, are nothing more than a shadow. I do not see you; I do not hear you.” 

Daphne whirled her blonde hair flying and marched back into the classroom. “Professor Flitwick, I would like to report a student of improper behavior in the form of derogatory slurs.”

Filius Flitwick and Harry looked up from their discussion. “Proceed, Miss Greengrass,” the Professor said simply. He realized the overly formal wording was an attempt to keep herself under control.

“Pansy Parkinson of House Slytherin saw fit to insult and use the foulest form of address for one of a non-magical house when talking to Miss Granger of House Ravenclaw. Being from an Ancient and Noble House, I found this offensive.”

Filius was seething. He was a Ravenclaw and depicted her message with no trouble. “Where is Miss Parkinson?”

“I left her in the hall just outside, sir. If I am correct Heir Malfoy and Heir Zabini should be holding her there for you.”

“And where is Miss Granger?”

“Unfortunately, sir, she ran off before anyone could stop her. Her dorm mates attempted to stop her but were unsuccessful. She disappeared quite quickly.” 

“Daphne,” Harry spoke from his spot next to the Professor’s desk. “Would you and the other girls be willing to check the girls’ restrooms for her? I’ll send Sue and Padma to check the dorm and I will check the library.”

“I will pass the word, Heir Potter.” She turned her attention back to the Professor, “is there anything else you need of me Professor? I would like to begin searching for Miss Granger.”

“You are dismissed, Miss Greengrass. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.” He stood and made his way toward the door. Harry and Daphne following at his heels.

Sure enough, Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy were each holding her arm to ensure she could not go anywhere. None of the class had left. “Miss Parkinson, I need you to come with me.” Professor Flitwick looked to the other students, “do you all agree that Miss Parkinson used foul language and insulted another student without provocation?” Each and every Slytherin and Ravenclaw student nodded. 

“The rest of you are dismissed.”

“Potter,” Daphne said as he started to head toward his house mates, “If we don’t find her in the restrooms or library, I suggest you speak to the Weasley twins. Rumor is they can find anyone.” She turned and walked away, the rest of the Slytherins following behind her.

“If you need anything, just ask,” Blaise said as he trailed behind his house. 

Harry turned to the first year Claws. “Girls, could you search the restrooms? Get the other first year girls to help if you can and the older years should be willing to help.” They nodded, “Sue, Padma, could you go and check the dorms?”

“Sure thing, Harry.” The girls left quickly.

“Okay, now I need someone to check the Astronomy tower, the grounds and the owlery. I’ll check the library. We will meet in front of the Great Hall.” The boys split into pairs, “If you find her one of you stay with her and the other come and get me. Okay?” The Ravenclaw boys left to search for their housemate.

**Great Hall, Dinner time**

Harry stood pacing outside the Great Hall. None of his house mates had found Hermione. He was worried about her. She played at being tough and unaffected by what others said but Harry knew differently. He knew that she was extremely self-conscious when it came to being accepted by her peers. Harry suspected that she had never really had friends.

“Harry.”

Harry turned to see Susan Bones walking toward him. “Did you find her?”

“Daphne found her in the first-floor girls’ bathroom on the east side of the castle. She sent Tracey Davis to find you, but Tracey told me to come to you instead, so I am here to tell you that Hermione is really upset and is probably going to be in there a while. Daphne is going to sit with her and keep her company.”

Harry bit his lip slightly. He wished he could go make sure she was okay. “Thanks, Susan.”

The girl smiled slightly in answer before walking into the hall.

“Come on, Harry,” Neville put a hand on his shoulder. “There is nothing you can do right now. We can go sit outside the restroom after the feast.”

“I didn’t even want to come to the feast in the first place.” He sighed, “I don’t celebrate Halloween. I usually spend it talking with my aunt about my mother while my uncle and cousin eat their weight in candy.”

Neville frowned but then gasped in understanding. Harry’s parents had died 10 years ago on that very day. “How about we skip the feast. We’ll go to the kitchens and get the Elves to give us some sandwiches and then well go sit outside the girl’s loo on the first floor and wait for Hermione and Daphne to come out. Okay?”

“Thanks, Neville.”

“No problem, Harry.”

A short time later Harry and Neville were outside the restroom that Hermione had sequestered herself into. Harry knocked on the door when they arrived.

Daphne opened the door a bit and peaked out.

“Is she okay?”

Daphne sighed, “She has been crying and saying that this is just like elementary. I keep reminding her that the two of you are her good friends and that most of us don’t think like that cow Parkinson but she isn’t really listening to me. I really think she needs you right now, Harry.”

Harry moved to enter the restroom. “That’s the ladies’ room, Harry,” Neville whispered.

“Don’t really care right now.” He walked past Daphne into the room. Neville sighed and followed him.

Hermione was sitting against the wall sniffling. Harry walked to her, sat down and put an arm around her. “You do know that no one agrees with what Parkinson said don’t you?”

“I’ve heard it all before. Not the exact words, but the meaning behind them isn’t new to me. ‘We don’t want you, you bushy haired, bucktoothed, nerdy freak.’” She sobbed out.

Harry hugged her. “None of that is true. You are so smart, Hermione, and you are one of my best friends. I love that your smart, it keeps me challenged and I know I can come to you for a lively debate. So, your hair is a little wild, but have you seen mine lately? It never lays flat. You don’t like your teeth, that is an easy fix, your parents are dentists after all, though I don’t see anything wrong with them.”

“Harry is right, Hermione.” Daphne whispered, crouching down in front of her. “Those of us with more than half a brain relish the competition you bring academically. I personally think that I could learn a lot from you by listening to how you interpret magical concepts; I can listen to the magical raised explanation by reading a text book or listening to anyone else around here but from you I get a unique perspective.” She grabbed one of Hermione’s hands. “If you don’t like your hair, I can introduce you to a potion that can tame the frizz by adding a few drops to your shampoo. If you don’t like your teeth then I suggest that you go to Madam Pomfrey and tell her someone engorged them and ask her to shrink them, she can shrink them to whatever size you want.”

“No one wants you to leave, Hermione.” Neville said softly. “Those who say they do are jealous of what you can achieve and were probably brought up thinking themselves superior to everyone. You are proving to them that that line of thinking is false. I mean, come on, the Pure-blood movement is getting trounced by the fact that the top two spots in the year are taken by a muggleborn and a halfblood.”

“Hermione,” Daphne whispered, “the only person who believed what Parkinson was saying was Parkinson. Had you stayed you would have seen your house round on her and me lose my temper with her. You missed out on Malfoy and Zabini holding her in place so that Professor Flitwick could punish her. We all stood for you, Hermione.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Harry nodded, “I didn’t hear what Daphne said to Parkinson but I did hear what she said to Professor Flitwick. I did see the rest of the class glaring at Parkinson while she was held in place. You don’t have to face this alone.”

Hermione wrapped her free arm around Harry and hugged him. She also squeezed Daphne’s hand as hers was still in Daphne’s grasp. Then she smiled up at Neville.

“Why don’t we get out of here? We can go up to the Astronomy tower and eat the sandwiches Harry and I got from the kitchens and say a little something to honor the Potters.”

“That sounds like an excellent plan,” Daphne straightened, “as long as you agree to walk me back to my common room.”

“I can do that,” Neville smiled. He reached a hand out and helped Hermione to her feet. And then helped Harry up too.

“Let’s get out…”

Harry’s words were drowned out by the door to the restroom slamming open, wood splintering, with a 10-foot mountain troll standing in the opening.

“I really hate Halloween.” Harry groaned.

“What is that?” asked Hermione, barely any sound coming out of her mouth.

“Mountain Troll,” Daphne breathed.

“I take it that’s a bad thing?” Harry said with more confidence then he felt.

“Mountain Trolls are stupid but highly resistant to magic.” Neville gulped out.

“Awesome,” Harry stepped in front of Hermione and pulled Daphne back so she was behind him too.

“What are we going to do?” Hermione clutched Harry’s shirt.

Harry took a deep breath as the Troll took a step forward. “I distract it so you can get out then I run around it and we look for a teacher.”

“I don’t think that is going to work, Harry,” Daphne said as she inched back. “the room is too small.”

The troll advanced and raised its club.

Harry pushed Daphne toward Neville while pulling Hermione the other way. The club slammed down onto the floor where Harry had been standing. 

Daphne and Neville slide into the stalls and started to crawl under the barriers toward the door. The Troll turned their direction and started to swing his club toward them. Neville covered Daphne with his body knowing it wouldn’t save either of them

“Hey, you,” Harry yelled while throwing a piece of broken tile at the troll’s head. “Come on stinky, come and get me.” The troll swung his empty hand Harry’s way with little interest and advanced toward Daphne and Neville again. 

Harry swore under his breath and ran at the troll. He launched himself into the air, somehow getting his arms around the troll’s thick neck. Using all the strength he had he pulled himself up so he could get his legs over the troll’s shoulders. He pulled his wand out of his sleeve and shoved it up the troll’s nose while trying to keep his perch as the troll thrashed. Harry felt himself flying forward and shouted the incantation of a spell he read in Curses and Counter Curses. 

_“Reducto!”_

Harry felt the magic pulse through his arm, into his wand as he went flying. He saw the troll begin to fall as he hit the wall.

“HARRY!” he heard someone scream and knew no more.

He heard someone crying.

Everything hurt.

He groaned and opened his eyes to find Hermione, Daphne and Neville leaning over him.

“Did anyone get the license plate of that bus?”

Hermione laughed somewhat hysterically while tears ran down her cheeks.

“Don’t move, Harry. We don’t know how hard you hit the wall.” He could see the strain of keeping her emotions under control in Daphne’s eyes. 

“I’ll go get a Professor,” Neville stood and started toward the door. 

He stopped a moment later as Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick and Quirrell ran into the bathroom.

“Would one of you please tell me why you aren’t in your common rooms like you were instructed?” Professor McGonagall said sternly.

“Harry needs Madam Pomfrey, Professor,” Neville said, standing up to his Head of House. When had they been told to go to their common rooms? 

Professor Snape swooped down and started casting silently over Harry. “Why were you not at the feast, Miss Greengrass?” he asked smoothly. He had noticed their absence. 

She looked at her Head of House. “There was an incident after Charms class involving Miss Parkinson that caused Miss Granger to seek refuge in the restroom. I found her and decided to sit with her until she was prepared to leave. Harry and Neville showed up later and I invited them in hoping that Mister Potter might be able to talk Hermione into going elsewhere. We were about to leave when the troll came in.”

Severus nodded, “Why were you not at the feast Mister Longbottom?”

“Harry was worried about Hermione. The incident after Charms upset her and he wanted to make sure she was okay. Susan Bones told us where she and Daphne were and I suggested heading here after the feast but Harry doesn’t celebrate Halloween. Realizing why he doesn’t celebrate, I suggested we wait for Daphne and Hermione out in the hall.” He took a breath and looked at Harry. The cut on his cheek that had been caused by flying ceramic was healed. “When we arrived, Harry knocked to see how things were going and Daphne indicated that Hermione would benefit from Harry’s presence. The rest is as Daphne said.”

“How did you manage to kill the Mountain Troll?”

“It was Harry,” Hermione whispered. “He wanted to distract it so we could get out and then try to run out himself but the troll swung his club and we got split up and the troll was going after Neville and Daphne, they were crawling under the stalls. Harry tried to draw its attention but it continued toward them.” She shuddered. “I don’t know how he did it but he leaped and got his arms around the troll’s neck and then climbed onto its shoulders.”

“He stuck his wand up its nose and yelled the incantation for a blasting curse. The troll threw him while he was casting and then he hit the wall and the troll was dead.” Neville continued.

“I think he was using intent magic.” Daphne breathed. “It would explain how he jumped that high and how he managed to cast a curse that someone our age shouldn’t be able to power and kill a troll with it.”

“Mister Potter needs the infirmary. I have done what I can but he will need a more knowledgeable hand.” Severus looked to his colleagues. “Would you like me to escort the students, Professors, or should I aid Quirrell in disposing of the troll?” He asked hoping to get them to react.

“I will take the students to the infirmary, Severus,” Filius stepped forward conjuring a magical stretcher. “Please help Quirinus.”

“I will inform the Headmaster that the Troll has been dealt with.” Minerva walked out of the room.

Daphne was surprised. Her Head of House was the one caring for them when he was the least likely to do so. McGonagall was essentially speechless when she was usually the one to make the plans. Flitwick was slow to react but she would have expected him to rush to the student’s aid. Quirrell was the strangest though. Why had he been glaring at Harry?

She stood and followed the others and saw Quirrell’s usual timid mask fall back into place when he noticed her attention. She looked to Professor Snape to see him frowning at Quirrell. Yes, she thought, it would be a good idea to watch Quirrell closely. 


	4. Aftermath

**Letters**

_Dear Aunt Petunia,_

_How are things on Privet Drive? Is Beans driving you crazy? Is uncle Vernon still upset about Dudley not going to Smeltings? Does Dudley regret not going to Smeltings? Was your Halloween all right? Did Dudley and Uncle Vernon enjoy their candy feast? Tell me EVERYTHING._

_Well on to me and Hogwarts._

_As you know, I made the Ravenclaw reserve team. The captain, Anna Gebbes, and the first-string Seeker, Liam Knowles, say I am a better Seeker. Liam says he wants me to play against Slytherin for sure and possibly Gryffindor depending on how the season goes. I am super excited. The first match of the year is Gryffindor verses Slytherin, it’s next week, I can’t wait to see my first game. I am so glad I get to watch one before I have to put on the uniform._

_It is official, charms is my favorite class. I just love magic and charms just seems so natural and free. Transfiguration is good too; it just involves much more concentration while learning. Charms I can almost do on instinct; Transfiguration is more challenging. Potions I like more with every class. The teacher is kind of surly but the class can be dangerous, remember when I told you about the melted cauldron? Professor Snape has to be a strict teacher or someone could get hurt._

_I haven’t heard word about the petition to fix History. Neville is going to send the copy to the Board of Governors, hopefully they actually listen to the students._

_I am starting to think Quirrell stutters like that on purpose. There are moments when the stutter seems rehearsed instead of involuntary. My scar hurts most often in Defense, particularly when Quirrell is facing away from me. I wonder why that is?_

_So, Halloween for me was, once again, not my favorite day. You know that I don’t like celebrating it to begin with but it’s a huge deal here too. There is this huge feast, joy and fun all around. I was not looking forward to it. _

_Anyway, the day started out okay, we had class so I just lost myself in lessons. Our last class before lunch was Charms. Like always, Hermione and I flew through the lesson and helped out anyone who needed it. I wanted to talk to Professor Flitwick about not going to the feast so I waited behind. While I was talking to the professor there was an incident. A Slytherin girl named Pansy Parkinson said some horrible things about and to Hermione. She made Hermione cry. The other students wouldn’t stand for it of course, so Daphne went all Pureblood princess on her. Apparently is was brilliant. Daphne basically told Parkinson she was nothing, worse than nothing and then went and got the Professor. Parkinson got in trouble and then the rest of us went to look for Hermione._

_It was almost time for the Feast when I finally heard where Hermione had hidden herself. She was in one of the girl’s restrooms. Daphne had found her and was sitting with her and sent word to me. I ended up skipping the feast, one because I didn’t want to go and two to check on Hermione. Neville went with me._

_While we were in the bathroom Professor Quirrell apparently ran into the Great Hall and said there was a troll in the dungeons then passed out. Fred and George say it was very poor acting, no one passes out like that for real._

_I am sure you guessed it, my Halloween luck struck again and the troll broke into the bathroom. I hope you aren’t disappointed in me, apparently the headmaster is, but I killed the troll. It would have killed all of us, I felt like I had no choice. Oh, and I kind of ended up in the infirmary, apparently, I cracked my skull and had some broken ribs and lots of bruising from when the troll threw me into the wall before it died._

_Well enough about that._

_You will be pleased to know that I am second in my year, Hermione beat me. Daphne says I shouldn’t get to comfortable because she plans to take my spot._

_I should end that here. I have studying to do and a quidditch practice later today._

_I miss you._

_Love Harry_

_=====_

_Harry,_

_WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE WAS A TROLL AND YOU ENDED UP IN THE INFIRMARY!!! WHY WASN’T I INFORMED YOU WERE HURT. WHERE WERE THE TEACHERS?_

_I am not upset that you killed it. I trust you Harry and know you would never do anything like that unless it was entirely necessary. You did it to save the lives of your friends and that is enough for me. Your headmaster is wrong to disapprove of saving lives. Harry, please don’t do anything like that again, I don’t want to lose you._

_I know you want to learn about your parents from others, you should approach your potions Professor. If it is the same Snape that I remember, then he was great friends with your mother for years. He grew up in the same town we did. I was quite cruel to him and Lily, and I regret it to this day._

_Harry, please tell someone about your scar. Go to your head of house or McGonagall. Also, share your suspicions that Quirrell is more than he seems._

_I am so proud of you! Second in your year! You are just like your mother. Keep up the good work, maybe someday you will be top of your year. Whatever happens I am proud of you as long as you do your best. From what I remember, your mother loved charms and potions too._

_Now for the home front._

_Why did I agree to let Dudley have a dog? It barks all the time. It isn’t doing well in terms of being house broken. It pees on the floor whenever it is excited and everything excites it. Dudley does love Beans and is being very responsible but I still regret it._

_Vernon is getting over his disappointment that Dudley did not follow in his footsteps in terms of schooling. He actually likes that his son is around but he still wishes that Dudley had worn the uniform._

_Dudley could care less about Smeltings. All he cares about is the fact that had he gone to Smeltings he would not have Beans. He also says he is glad he gets my cooking every day._

_Halloween was Halloween here. Dudley and Vernon ate themselves sick and I spent the day mourning my sister. I had the additional misfortune to not have you with me this year so I spent a good portion of the day missing my nephew more than I usually do. Dudley did sit with me for a bit and we said a little something to your mother in thanks, we know she saved you and we always thank her for allowing us to have you in our lives._

_Are you coming home for the Yule Holiday? Dudley and I miss you terribly and would love to see you. If you wish to stay, we will understand, but remember that we miss you and love you._

_Love, always_

_Aunt Petunia_

**_P.S. You took on a Mountain Troll. That is so cool._ ** _No, it most certainly is not ‘cool’ Dudley…_

**_Yeah, it kind of is, Mom._ **

**_Dudley_ **

_====_

_Father_

_I hope all is well at home. How are Mother and Astoria? I trust business is going well._

_I shall get right to the point. I, as Heiress Greengrass, have declared Pansy Parkinson of the minor House Parkinson a shadow. I do not see her or even acknowledge her existence. Her attitude and complete disregard for propriety disgust me and I want nothing to do with her._

_The Parkinson girl thought it appropriate to use a certain derogatory word, often used by the followers of the Halfblood False Lord, to describe the top student in the year. This girl is also exceptionally close to the Potter Heir._

_While it may be true that she does not come from a long line of magic, the girl in question is doing all she can to learn everything about magic. She has even asked Heir Zabini and myself about our culture and traditions._

_I would greatly appreciate it if you reconsidered any business dealings with a lesser house that would use such petty tactics._

_If you have questions concerning the incident, I can give you the names of nearly a dozen students who would corroborate my story including Heir Malfoy, Heir Zabini and Heiress Runcorn._

_On a lighter note, I have made a friendly acquaintance with the top two students in my year, Miss Granger and Heir Potter. I hope to move up from third but it will be a challenge._

_Your faithful Daughter,_

_Daphne_

_P.S. What can you tell me about Quirinus Quirrell? I get the sneaking suspicion that he is more than he seems._

_===_

_Gran,_

_How are you and Uncle Algie? I hope all is well. How are things on the political front? Are there any new laws I should be made aware of?_

_I am doing well in school. I am among the top 12 students overall and am the top student in Herbology. I think I can move up in the standings, my theory needs work. I hope I am making you proud._

_With this letter you will find a petition. My friends and I felt that History of Magic was not being taught correctly and we decided that since the complaints of a few were ignored that the complaints of the majority of the student body should get someone’s attention. We handed the petition to the Headmaster a week and a half before Halloween but have not received any sort of reply. Because we have not been acknowledged we are sending this to you, a member of the Board of Governors, hoping that you will at the very least respond with a no if you collectively decided that you do not agree with our feelings of being slighted._

_The next bit I fear will upset you, but please know and remember that I am fine and was never hurt._

_On Halloween night a Mountain Troll was let into the school. Through some unfortunate circumstances I was not at the feast when it was announced so missed the order to return to the common rooms. To make matters worse the Troll was not where the professor who announced its presence said. The troll ended up where I was with three others. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Daphne Greengrass and I would have been killed if not for luck and the power Harry wields. Harry managed to kill the troll saving our lives._

_I tell you this because I fear the Headmaster will attempt to keep this hidden from everyone outside the walls of the castle. I do not agree with that decision._

_Would it be alright if I invited Harry, Hermione, Daphne and Blaise Zabini to the annual Yule celebration ball? I would love it if my closest friends could attend._

_Love,_

_Neville_

**Headmaster Office**

Albus Dumbledore paced his office, his magic crackling around him. He whirled and shot his hand out to the side. Concentrated magic slammed into a cabinet, sending wood, glass and clay shards everywhere. He looked at the silver instruments sitting on a table with a withering look, two glass orbs suspended above the table shattered.

Fawkes gave an agitated trill and swooped out of the open window. “Come back here, you bloody bird,” he shouted after him. Fawkes didn’t return.

“What is going on here?” he asked the empty room.

“The boy is performing well, I do not know what you are angry about,” the portrait of Headmistress Dilys Derwent interjected.

“He is upset because he isn’t in control of the boy,” Phineas Black’s portrait sneered. “Dumbledore expected the boy to show up beaten, shy and looking for acceptance, instead he showed up loved, confident and already accepted by his family. The boy has no need for Albus to be his Grandfather figure.”

“I told you, Albus. Family takes care of family. You insisted that the girl would hate the boy because she feared magic but she proved you wrong.” Headmaster Dippet said triumphantly.

“Aren’t you all supposed to support the current Headmaster?” Albus snarled.

“No, boy,” Brutus Scrimgeour added placidly, “we are here to advise the current Headmaster. You just choose not to take our advice. Not one of us approved of your plan, not even the anti-Potter portraits like Black. You did not listen so now it is our extreme pleasure to say, we told you…”

Albus slashed his wand at the portraits, causing them all to fall silent. He did not want to hear an ‘I told you so’ from someone who was long dead. 

He had been so sure. His plans were all but foolproof. Petunia Evans had married a man who seemed even more bigoted then she was; Lily had hated him. So why, in Merlin’s name, did they accept Harry for what he was? Why had Petunia embraced the magic in her nephew when she rejected her sister? Why hadn’t that fat walrus of a man disciplined the boy for doing accidental magic? Why hadn’t they done as he had instructed?

Albus had been quite clear. He had gone into the house and place the Compulsion charms while they slept. What had happened to the Compulsions? What had he missed?

And his staff, why were some of them acting so strangely? Minerva, Filius and Pomona didn’t surprise him in the least. Minerva had a soft spot for Potters in general and had loved Lily Evans so her focus on the boy was no surprise. Pomona was a Hufflepuff so that explained that. Filius, being the boy’s Head of House, and his relationship with Lily could really act no differently. 

Quirrell was acting as he should. He was in the service of the Dark Lord so Albus was pleased with his performance so far. The rest of the minor staff were of no concern to Albus, though he might have to watch Poppy.

His true concern was Severus. Why in the world wasn’t he treating the boy like a mini James Potter? It was absolutely intolerable for Severus to accept the boy. It would be far too hard to convince Severus that the boy needed to die to defeat the Dark Lord once and for all if he actually grew to like the boy. Why hadn’t the boy been a Gryffindor like he had demanded? If he had been a Gryffindor, then none of this would be an issue. 

He would be friends with the youngest Weasley. What was his name, Rob? This friendship would give him closer ties to a Light family that he approved of. He would be mediocre in class, because no one would care if he didn’t excel. Perhaps Albus would have let him on the quidditch team, making Harry feel like he owed him something. And Weasley would have isolated him. Yes, life would have been so much better if the Hat had done what he said.

He swept his gaze around the room again, his focus stopping on the blasted hat. “Why didn’t you sort him in Gryffindor, Hat?”

“We have gone over this before, child. Are you going senile?” 

Albus bristled at being called child. “I am not senile, and I am far from a child, but I do not see why you didn’t sort him properly. Potters are Gryffindors.”

“Not all Potters have been Gryffindors. I will admit that most are, they are essentially trained to be Gryffindors. Potters are all about honor, chivalry, and bravery. The Potter family generally produces those who do what is right over what is easy. Young Harry Potter is no different in some ways but entirely different in others.” The hat hummed. “Harry Potter is a tremendous young man who will do great things but a true Gryffindor he is not. Is he brave? Yes, he jumped on a mountain troll to allow his friends to escape. Is he chivalrous? Absolutely; just look at how he acts towards his peers. Is he honorable? I challenge someone to prove he isn’t. 

“However, Harry Potter is not ruled by his Gryffindor side. There is cunning in there as well as ambition. If I were to be honest Albus I would have sorted him in Slytherin before Gryffindor for he has great ambitions. He is also hardworking with a desire for fair play. Something dear Helga would have adored.” If the hat could have smiled it would have. “I placed him in Ravenclaw because he has a thirst for knowledge that few can match. He also has something he can teach the other Ravens. Harry is not ruled by book smarts; he uses what he learns in books as well as what he learns from life. Rowena struggled with many of her Ravens; most never look beyond their books, but Harry does. The House of Ravenclaw needs someone like Harry right now.”

Albus snarled, “so you placed him not for his own benefit but for the benefit of his house?”

“Do you listen to anyone but yourself, Albus Dumbledore?”

“What is that supposed to mean, Hat?”

“Perhaps you should watch your memory of this conversation and find out.” The hat fell silent.

“I demand you resort him.”

The hat did not reply.

“I am talking to you, Hat.”

“He won’t answer.” Albus turned and scowled. Why could he never silence Headmaster Vindictus Veridian? “The Hat is done talking to you, Albus. He doesn’t have to respond to you if he doesn’t want to.”

“Why did you have to wake up?”

“I was awake the whole time. I simply waited until I could irritate you most before speaking.”

“I will find a way to silence you one of these days.”

“Many have tried, none have succeeded.” The image of Veridian examined his nails, looking utterly bored.

“Do you get some perverse pleasure out of making the lives of the current Headmaster miserable, Veridian?”

“My first name is Vindictus, what does that tell you?”

“That I need to find a way to destroy you.”

The portrait of Vindictus Veridian yawned. “You can try, but you won’t succeed.”

Albus flicked his wand toward the portrait, the blasting hex hit the portrait dead center.

“Was that the best you could do?” There was a slight hint of joy in his voice.

Albus growled before rushing to the Floo. With a flare of green flame, he left Hogwarts for the night. Portraits needed to mind their own business.

**Severus Snape’s Quarters, Hogwarts**

Severus glared at the fire. Things were getting complicated. 

He knew this year would be different, it was the year the Boy-Who-Lived returned to Hogwarts after all. It was no surprise that most of the student body were making idiots of themselves attempting to gain Potter’s attention. It was also no surprise that a number of his Snakes had decided to go the opposite way, he only wished they were not so obvious in their disdain. 

What happened to Slytherin cunning?

Severus was pleased that his godson had not fallen into either category. Draco, Greengrass, Zabini and Nott had so far pleased him in their actions. Greengrass was perhaps the most open in her dealings but she always handled herself with the poise expected of her house and never found herself in opposition to her teachers; it also pleased him that she ranked third in the year for the entire year group. Nott and Draco seemed to be taking a wait and see approach that spoke well of them. Zabini, he knew was closer to Potter than most saw. The boy was perhaps the most Slytherin of the bunch; his cunning outstripped most of those in second and third year as well. Crabbe, Goyle and Bulstrode were what he expected, weak students destined to follow someone else. Parkinson was an utter disappointment. The others were barely worth mentioning; they were average in every way.

As always, the Gryffindors were Gryffindors. Poor students with little respect. The only one worth any mention was the Longbottom boy. His talent in Herbology was helping him greatly in potions, he was one of the few students who seemed to truly appreciate his class.

The Hufflepuffs were hard working as always, though he saw a number of them didn’t seem to demand equality like most others did. He did not like the Macmillan boy, such a self-important boy. Bones, Abbot and Finch-Fletchley weren’t bad, for Puffs.

It was the Ravenclaw first years that were the true surprise. They seemed to be the closest group of the four houses. From what he had observed, they didn’t have any conflict. They had formed groups but the groups could and did interact well together. As always, the top students in the year were Ravenclaws; six of the top seven were Claws. What amused him was that the top two were muggle raised. 

Nothing could have please him more than Potter being sorted in to Ravenclaw. It was a perfect sign that he was not his father. Lily had admitted to him that the hat had considered Ravenclaw for quite a while during her sorting, so the fact that her son was sorted into that house indicated that he was very much like his mother. Severus had noticed that the boy did like to laugh, but he was never malicious about it. Perhaps Severus Snape could tolerate a Potter.

What was troubling was what was happening beyond the students’ knowledge. Why had the Headmaster insisted on housing that item in the school? What could have possibly convinced him to hide it behind traps on the third floor when his office was much more secure? Why in the world had he insisted on placing that bloody three-headed dog in the school after telling the students that the place was off-limits? Severus was sure that at least a handful of students had gone to take a look. He could name three of his own house that he was sure of and did not doubt that the Weasley twins had also taken a peek. 

Severus was glad that he had refused to provide an ‘obstacle’ of protection for the damned stone. He wanted no part in the business. And what kind of protection was a logic puzzle anyway? He only hoped the other teachers had refused as well; they did not need the Headmaster’s madness any more than he did.

Quirrell. 

Quirinus Quirrell was a major problem. He hoped he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t fooled by the man’s obviously false acting. Severus had brought his concerns to the Headmaster but had been all but ignored. Minerva was shoving her head in the sand; Dumbledore wasn’t worried so neither was she. Filius seemed watchful, he planned to meet with the dueling champion soon. Pomona seemed concerned for Quirrell, poor gullible Hufflepuff. Poppy, he knew, did not like Quirinus, she liked him less now than she did before.

As for the students, he knew most just despised his class because of the stuttering. He thought some of them were seeing through the act. Greengrass had indicated that she was concerned after the Troll incident. Potter, Longbottom and Granger also seemed to be watching Quirrell more closely. The sixth- and seventh-year Snakes had approached him as well. So perhaps all was not lost. A small percentage of the student body were at least marginally observant.

Severus turned when he heard a knock on his door. He raised an eyebrow and stood to answer. He looked down to find Filius waiting in the hall. His face set in a frown.

“Hello, Severus. Would you mind if I joined you for a bit? I have just had a strange conversation that I think you should be made aware of.” 

Severus nodded and stepped to the side, “Come in, I have actually been meaning to speak to you about a few things.”

“I have a feeling we both have concerns about certain things within these walls.”

Severus only nodded as they took their seats in front of the fire. “Would you like to go first, Filius?”

“I just finished a meeting with Mister Potter, he has been experiencing pains in his scar. He was insistent that this was no headache but actual pain that radiated from his scar.”

“Does this happen all the time or just as certain times?”

“I asked the same. It seems he has been tracking the pain since the beginning of the year. His friends helped him too, noting down any time he rubs his scar.” Filius grabbed a tea cup when it appeared on the table. “He and his friends have come to the conclusion that Quirrell has something to do with it.”

“Why do they think it is tied to Quirrell?” he asked while not entirely surprised. 

“Miss Granger notes that Mister Potter suffers from the pains most often in the Great Hall and while in Defense class. The others note times in the hallways but rarely, if ever in other classes. When they narrowed it down to those places, they started to note the layout of the area whenever the pain occurred. Mister Potter claims that it happens most often when Quirrell is facing away from him.”

“The back of Quirrell’s head?”

“Indeed. I have separate reports from Granger, Potter, Longbottom, Thomas, Goldstein and Li. They presented Longbottom and Thomas because Gryffindor shares Defense with my Claws and the others noted incidences in both the Great Hall and class room. I was also handed a note by Miss Greengrass saying she was certain that Quirrell is not as inept as he pretends to be. She notes that he was glaring openly at Mister Potter after we found them in that bathroom on Halloween night.”

“What of the scar itself?” Severus did not need to ask for the data, he knew Filius would have read over every word before coming to him. Severus also knew that Miss Granger would not falsify data, she was too much a scholar for that.

“I do not know. I would like to examine it but did not dare without talking to you and Poppy. I fear the Headmaster would be displeased if I moved without his permission. I am not opposed to doing so, he can’t get rid of me, I am too well liked by the Governors and the rest of the staff but he could make this difficult.”

“You wanted witnesses?” Severus raised an eyebrow. He had not known that Filius’s respect for Albus had deteriorated so much.

The little man shrugged, “It seemed to be the best plan where this was concerned.”

“For what it is worth, I too would like examine the scar in light of the student’s findings. I know Poppy will agree with me.”

Filius nodded taking a sip of his tea. “What did you wish to discuss with me, Severus?”

“Quirrell and the artifact.” He said bluntly. Filius nodded gravely. “I have brought my concerns about Quirrell to Albus but was dismissed. He is not what he seems. That stutter is obviously fake and I cannot believe that anyone thought his fainting performance was genuine. I do not think him sincere and I do not think is intentions are in the best interest of anyone in the school.”

“Yes, his fainting spell was like watching a really bad play. It is concerning that Albus dismissed you, it is not lost on the rest of the staff that he values your opinion more than anyone else’s, it angers Minerva.” He tilted his head in thought, “What of the artifact?”

“Did you provide a challenge?”

“You saw that, too did you? Those were not protections. Albus is essentially creating an obstacle course for a child. Any wizard worth his magic could dispel the magical challenges and get past the troll and a logic puzzle.”

“He could also just place a Flame Freezing spell on the entrance and exit.”

Filius saluted with is cup, “Too true. To answer your question, I offered to devise my own trap but would not tell him the details. He refused my offer and I believe went with his original plan for me, enchanted flying keys with brooms waiting in the room.”

Severus raised an eyebrow. That was worse than the logic puzzle, any first year could sit a broom. “How many students do you think have met Fluffy?”

Filius shook his head, “I know of seven in my house and three in Minerva’s. Both of my seventh-year prefects went in hopes of deterring others, they have talked a number of curious students out of going. The fifth-year boys also went, four saw Fluffy, the others stood guard at the end of the hall. Harry Potter saw him with Mister Longbottom and the Weasley twins.”

Severus nodded. “Flint in my house went to show his bravery as did Higgs. Daphne Greengrass talked a fourth-year boy into going for her so she would know but would not get in trouble for going herself.”

Filius smiled, “I quite like Miss Greengrass. She is brilliantly smart and has a clearly defined sense of honor. I suspect the boy she sent was one who would have gone anyway,” Severus nodded, “Clever girl,” Filius smiled as he finished. 

“So, what do we do, Severus?”

“We watch Quirrell, closely. I will talk to Poppy about Mister Potter’s scar, perhaps we can get her to call him, if that is the case, Albus cannot say anything and Poppy can declare that it is not medically necessary for him to know the details. After that, we protect the students from whatever Quirrell is up to and we keep Potter away from whatever test Albus has planned for him.”

Filius nodded sadly, “I was hoping I was wrong about Albus wanting to test Harry.”

“So was I, Filius. So was I.” 

**Transfiguration Office, Hogwarts**

Minerva McGonagall was confused and frustrated. She was starting to get used to the fact that Albus trusted Severus more than he trusted her despite the fact that she had been working for him much longer than Severus. What she was not prepared for was him not listening to her at all. 

Usually, when she was so against something she resorted to angry ranting, he at least listened and modified his plans. Sometimes he even dropped the idea. But this year it was as if he tuned her out the moment, she opened her mouth. 

Why had he brought that thing into the school? Why had he placed a giant three-headed dog behind a door that could be opened with an Alohamora? Why were all the ‘protections’ so easily thwarted? What was Albus thinking?

Her mind flew back to Halloween night. She was not proud of her reaction to finding four first year students in the destroyed bathroom with a dead Troll. It pained her to know that she had missed the fact that four students had not been at the feast, at the very least she should have noticed one of her lions was not there. 

Severus had noticed all the missing students. 

She sighed. Perhaps she should give the man a break. He was not the surly student he used to be and he was an expert in his field, one of the best in the world. She knew he preferred his research to teaching but he was decent at it, if not the most supportive instructor. His class had had much fewer injuries in the years since he had taken the post. She couldn’t fault him for holding high standards, in his class a mistake could create a poison or an explosion. Ronald Weasley was lucky he only melted his cauldron. 

Her thoughts turned to one other concern. Defense Against the Dark Arts. She had had a number of her NEWT students approach her about the inadequacy of the class. Apparently, Quirrell’s stuttering made it extremely difficult to learn, it also hindered Quirinus’s ability to cast spells. He had yet to demonstrate a spell for his classes. 

She stood squaring her shoulders. It was time that she did something. She was the Deputy Headmistress, she would speak to Albus about Quirrell’s lack of teaching ability and if he didn’t listen, she would talk to the other heads. They would look after the students even if the Headmaster wouldn’t. 


	5. Quidditch

**Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts**

Minerva McGonagall was on a mission; one she should have gone on months ago. She was a teacher and therefore she was responsible for her students. She was the Head of Gryffindor; she was supposed to be the first one a fourth of the students went to. She was the Deputy Headmistress; she was the one the teachers went to for assistance.

In recent years she had failed in her duties.

"Albus, you will remove that beast from the third floor," she demanded before he even had a chance to open his mouth to greet her. "You will disable those meager defenses. Finally, you will find a new place for that stone. You will do all of this by tomorrow or I will be going to the Board of Governors."

"Now, Minerva…"

"Don't you 'now Minerva' me in that placating tone. I cannot abide by the choices you have made this year. A Cerberus is not acceptable around students. If it isn't acceptable around Care of Magical Creatures NEWT students, then it is not acceptable inside a school where eleven-year-olds can find it."

"My dear…"

She waved her hand to silence him, "No, Albus. That is only my first complaint. How is it that a Mountain Troll could get into the school? How is it a Cerberus could reside in the school? Aren't there wards to prevent such things?"

"I had to disable…"

"If you finish that sentence, so help me…" she trailed off. Taking a deep, calming breath she continued, "Why did you bring the stone to a school full of children? It has been sought after by many a dark and greedy wizard. Its allure is too much for those who seek the easy path to fixing their problems. That stone should never have been placed within these walls, but when it was, it should have been locked in this office. Only you have the password and only I can override that in an emergency. If I am incapacitated, then the other Heads can. You do trust your Heads of House, don't you?"

"Of course, my dear."

"Then why, Albus, did you ignore each and every one of those heads when they told you not to do this? Why did you proceed when we told you your protections were nothing more than challenges for children? What did you do with the concerns that the other professors brought to you about how odd Quirinus's behavior has been?"

"I know what I am doing, Minerva," a bit of his anger seeped into his voice.

"I don't think you do." She sounded tired. "Fix it, Albus. This is a school full of children. It is not a chessboard where you control the pieces. Your staff will not tolerate you endangering the students any longer."

"This is my school, Minerva."

"No, Headmaster Dumbledore, it is not. You are Headmaster only as long as the castle allows," came the Bloody Baron's drawl as he drifted through the wall.

"You have ignored the lady for too long, Headmaster, Hogwarts does not like to be ignored." Sir Nicholas said gravely.

"This is a warning, the last you will receive," the Fat Friar frowned at the aging headmaster.

"You will repair the damage you have done to the wards." The Gray Lady floated to the center of the room, "and you will remove all the darkness you have brought into her walls."

"If by the time the students return from Yule things inside the castle have not improved, you will be gone." Sir Nicholas floated to the Gray Lady’s side.

"You will not question the decisions of our dear friend Archimedes," the Friar gestured to the Sorting Hat.

"You will respect the students and teachers." The Gray Lady looked on; eyes hard.

"You get only this one chance. If you fail, you will leave quietly when asked or be expelled forcefully." The Baron seemed eager for him to refuse to leave.

"Hogwarts has spoken," the house ghosts said as one.

One by one the ghosts drifted from the room. Sir Nicholas was the last to leave. "You too were on borrowed time, Minerva McGonagall. Your inaction had angered Hogwarts greatly. She has decided to give you a second chance due to what you said today. Do not waste it."

Minerva bowed her head to her house ghost. "I will not squander the gift she has given me, Sir Nicholas."

"See that you don't. It would be a shame to see you go. You are a lioness among sheep." Sir Nicholas faded from the room leaving silence behind him.

**Hogwarts, Great Hall**

"What's with Harry?"

"Good morning, Neville," Hermione smiled at the Gryffindor as he slid onto the bench at the Ravenclaw table. "Harry is nervous because the team is going to have a practice game today. They are mixing up the starters and the reserves so the teams are relatively even and giving everyone a game before the first game of the year."

"The first game, which is Saturday, is Gryffindor versus Slytherin."

"Yes, it is. Anna said that she wants an actual practice the weekend before the Ravenclaw Hufflepuff game so she booked the pitch for two hours today for a practice game. The Slytherins had the pitch yesterday and the Gryffindors have it after 1 today."

"Okay."

"It is apparently a Ravenclaw tradition. A quidditch tradition that I actually get. There are only so many games a year and what better way to practice then to play a game once in a while."

"It's a good idea, if you have a full reserve team that is."

Hermione nodded, "Harry, at least eat some toast. Were you like this before all your football games? It is just a practice game with your teammates."

"I've never played a match before."

"No, but you have been to every practice. Anna and Liam say you're really good so stop stressing. You know you'll be fine the second you're in the air."

Harry just huffed, pushing some eggs around his plate.

"This is weird." Neville tilted his head while staring at Harry. "I don't think I like him nervous. It creeps me out."

"Tell me about it," Anthony Goldstein moaned. Terry nodded emphatically from the seat next to him. "He woke up nervous."

"He is usually up and reading before the rest of us are even in the shower but today he had to drag himself to the shower." Terry poked Harry's head. "What gives, Harry? This nervous moping is freaking out the natives."

"I just don't want to make a fool of myself, I can't let everyone down."

"Harry," Hermione sighed. "You aren't going to make a fool of yourself. You are a natural on a broom, everyone says so. Your dad was great at quidditch, you said yourself that they made him captain."

"But what if…"

"Harry! This is your first game. You are the reserve seeker. This is a practice game with your team. Just do your best. There is no trophy on the line. There are no house points awarded. No one expects you to hand them the quidditch cup. If I am reading this right, you are supposed to challenge the first-string seeker; If you beat him to the snitch, good for you; if he gets the snitch that just means that he has more experience."

Harry studied her, absorbing her words. "I'm being annoying, aren't I?"

"Yes," his dorm mates and friend replied as one.

"Sorry," he winced. "I actually get nervous before every game I play, well at least ones with uniforms. I can't control it. I usually cool down when we start warming up."

"It's all good, Harry. Just try not to depress the rest of us, would you?"

Harry smiled, "I can do that."

**Hogwarts Grounds**

"So, you're sure it's okay that I come?"

"Don't worry, Neville. I asked and Anna said that you were fine. She said that Harry would probably appreciate it seeing as you're his best friend and she wouldn't allow Cedric or the twins. She trusts you not to share details. Which is why Padma wasn't allowed to bring her sister."

Neville laughed, yeah Parvati was definitely not a good choice if you didn't want team details getting out. Even if she wasn’t a quidditch fanatic, she would happily share every detail she remembered to anyone who would listen.

"So, who all comes to this thing?"

"Well, most of the house comes, they basically make it mandatory unless you have detention or an important project due in the next day or two, it’s show house unity and all that." She tilted her head in thought, "I know Professor Flitwick comes to all practice matches, I think the other Ravenclaw alumni teachers come if they aren't covering detentions."

"It's an unwritten rule that only Ravenclaw staff and the Headmaster are allowed to attend." The first years turned to see the Penelope Clearwater, the female fifth year Prefect. "Professors Vector and Babbling come to at least one practice came a year and Quirrell came when he taught Muggle Studies. Other than that, it's Ravenclaws and trustworthy friends in the stands cheering on our players."

"So, do you know the line up?" Terry asked the older girl.

"Nope," she smiled, "they keep that under wraps from everyone until the game starts. Traditionally, the team doesn't find out until they are in the locker rooms."

"Is that wise?" asked Anthony.

"They do it so that players are prepared to work with all teammates. If they don't know the line up before the game, they can't predict too much of the game so they have to be prepared for all outcomes."

"That is a lot of possibilities," Hermione breathed, her eyes wide.

"True, but they do keep it fairly even. There is always one first string beater on each team and they generally put the starter keeper with two reserve chasers. Once that is all divided the weaker team on paper gets the stronger seeker. It isn't always the better seeker's team that wins. One game last year Liam caught the snitch but his team was so far behind his team lost anyway."

They were climbing into the stands. The picked a high up seat that was generally considered the Hufflepuff section but they were the best seats as they were center of the pitch.

"Are you going to sit with us, Penny?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I thought I would, I haven't spent enough time with you first-years." Penny took her seat between Hermione and Terry. "So, no Greengrass or Zabini today?"

Hermione shrugged, "Anna said she trusted them because of what they did for me but they didn't think it was a good idea to come because they might be forced to share what they had seen."

"You know, we Prefects are proud of you," she smiled at Hermione and Neville. "Everyone talks about making friends outside their own house but everyone forgets within a month or two and by the time we start trying again its OWL year and everyone is more concerned with the end of year exams. Don't stop doing what you're doing. Maybe your class will do what no other has in my memory."

"Ladies and Gentleman." They all looked toward the field, "Professors, Ravenclaws and Longbottom." Neville blushed. "Welcome to the first Ravenclaw practice match. I am your sixth year Prefect Reginald Brockmire, please call me Reggie or I will have to hurt you." Penny giggled, shaking her head. "Today we should have an interesting match-up. Our quidditch captain says it should be an even match-up.

"Here are the line-ups for today. The team in Blue is led by Captain Anna Gebbes, joining her at chaser are Randolph Burrow and Olivia Crests." One by one the players flew onto the field to circle the pitch then lined up in front of the north hoops. "For beater they have starter Duncan Inglebee and reserve Jason Samuels. Their keeper and seeker are starters Stella Moon and Liam Knowles."

"Wow," Penny said under her breath. Hermione looked at her questioningly. "Anna is basically saying Harry is the better seeker with that line-up."

"Really?"

"Yeah, placing both the keeper and seeker for the starters with herself should be stacking the team, her and the keeper not surprising as she should typically take the two reserve chasers but adding the seeker means she feels that either her team is weaker, which with the keeper it's not, or her starter seeker is weaker."

"Our team in Bronze," Reggie continued, "Is under the direction of the assistant captain beater Bruce Tyler and reserve beater Orson Hutchens, the chasers are starters Roger Davies and Hugh Ogden joined by reserve Jeremy Stretton. The keeper and seeker are both reserves for this team and they are Grant Page and Harry Potter."

"There is Madam Hooch with the Quaffle, the Bludgers and snitch have been released, the Quaffle is up and the game is on."

Hermione didn't know what she was seeing. Quidditch was fast, ridiculously fast. It was like trying to follow the puck in hockey but worse.

“Gebbes to Burrow to Gebbes to Crests to Burrow, Burrow shoots, blocked at the center hoop. Page passes it into play to Davies. Davies to Stretton to Ogden to Stretton intercepted by Burrow. Burrow to Gebbes, Gebbes is cut off by a Bludger hit by Tyler. Davies picks it up and charges down field he, shoots and scores on the right hoop after feinting to the left hoop.”

Neville laughed softly at Hermione's wide eyes. "Fast isn't it?"

"How does anyone keep up?"

"You don't," Terry smiles. "You follow what you can and hope the announcer is good and can keep you up to date on the important events. Most people don't notice anything but where the Quaffle is until the announcer points something else out."

"It looks like Knowles has spotted the snitch. He is diving but Potter hasn't seen it. Is this the end of our Bronze team?" Reggie asked.

Hermione looked up above the chaser play to find Harry still circling while Liam dived through the center of the field. She could see Harry's grin as he still searched the field.

"Knowles has pulled out of his dive. It seems he was testing Potter by pulling a feint. Well done, for the first year, most would have followed. While we were watching the Blue team scored tying here up at 10 even."

Half an hour later the score was 90 to 30 in favor of Blue. Harry and Knowles had been pulling feints on each other about every five minutes. Harry seemed to time his feints for when the opposite team was rushing the hoop, disrupting the play. Knowles just feinted whenever he wanted. Hermione thought Harry's strategy was better.

"And there go the seekers. Is this another feint?"

Hermione could see they were neck and neck, shooting toward the Bronze keeper.

"I think I see it," Terry shouted.

Hermione squinted; she was pretty sure she could see it too.

"Oh, a well-placed Bludger by Inglebee blocks Potter from the snitch but unfortunately he also blocked his own seeker due to how close they were."

And so, they returned to searching.

The score was 120 to 90, still in favor of Blue when it happened.

Harry shot toward the ground at top speed. She thought he was feinting, she didn't see the snitch in his path, but the she saw his arms tugging. It looked like he was trying to pull the broom from its dive but it wasn't listening.

"Neville," Hermione's hand flew out and gripped his hand.

"I see it too."

He was getting so close to the ground.

Penny flew to her feet wand out.

And then Harry's broom jerked up out of the dive to hover 50 feet above the ground.

"I thought he was going to crash," Penny breathed in relief.

Hermione wasn't breathing in relief just yet. She was searching the stands. "Nev, is Quirrell here?"

"There," Neville pointed to the Slytherin section, using his omnioculars to see across the distance. "He looks like he is talking to himself. He isn't blinking."

"Where is he focused?"

Neville gulped, following the angle of his head. "Harry."

Harry hadn't moved from where his dissent had stopped. Liam was flying toward him as the chasers had stopped above them. The only players still moving were the beaters and they appeared to be playing a version of catch, or keep away depending on how you looked at it, with the Bludgers.

Liam got within about 10 feet of Harry and his broom jerked down again. Liam stopped and then Harry stopped.

Liam inched forward; Harry dropped 5 feet.

Liam backed away; Harry froze.

"What do we do?" Hermione whispered.

Neville could only shake his head.

…

Harry was scared. He had no control right now.

"You okay, Harry?" Liam called cautiously.

"I don't know. The broom won't respond. I kept trying to pull out of the dive like I always do but kept going straight down. Once I stopped, I tried to drift down but I can't seem to go anywhere now. If you get any closer, I start going straight at the ground again."

"What if I got under you?"

Harry shook his head. "I get the feeling if you even tried, I would slam into the ground at top speed. I'm too high up to let go. What do I do?"

"I don't know, kid. Professor Flitwick is in the stands; he is probably doing something."

Harry nodded, "If it isn't too much trouble could you stay right there and keep me company? I need something other than plowing into the ground to think about."

"Sure thing. So, which professional team do you follow? I am a Ballycastle fan myself."

If he wasn't so scared, Harry would have laughed.

…

 **What are you doing?** Asked the voice in his head

 _I will kill him for you, master._ He answered in his thoughts, while still cursing the Potter boy's broom.

**Not now, you moron. The blasted Goblin will out us to the old man.**

_The boy will be dead._

**The Goblin is holding you off and all I want is the stone! The boy can wait until I am whole again.**

_With the boy gone you will have no opposition, master._

**I will still have the Headmaster to deal with. This is not the time.**

_Too late now. I have to kill him. The Goblin is looking at me; I'll just have to kill him too._

**You must stop. You are destroying your body. If you continue to use our power this way I will once again be forced to use mindless beasts as hosts. If you die, I won't be able to get the stone!**

_Worry not, Master. Once I kill the boy and the Goblin all those innocent minds will be yours for the taking._

**I demand you stop at once. We must go for the stone while we still can.**

…

Filius Flitwick was standing on his seat his wand out, pointed at Harry. He was chanting a counter to whatever Quirrell was casting on Harry's broom.

Bathsheda Babbling was at his side, unsure what to do.

He flicked his wand and a brief note floated into her hands.

_Cushioning Charms_

Her eyes widened and then she was running.

Septima Vector had run off the second the broom started speeding at the ground. Filius knew she had sensed the flow of malicious magic, he only hoped she had gone for Severus instead of Minerva or Albus. Minerva would not know how to react, she needed to find her inner lion again. Albus would either help or make things worse. Severus would react. Severus would make a difference.

Filius had to admit that Quirrell was strong. Of course, that strength was a great surprise. He had never been this strong before. Not when he was a student. Not when he was teaching Muggle Studies. What had happened during his sabbatical?

There was a push, he watched Harry's broom jerk. Filius's eyes glared and he stopped muttering the counter curse. He would not be defeated by the likes of Quirinus Quirrell.

He felt his opponent push more power into the curse and he almost buckled under the pressure. ‘He wanted to play, did he?’ a small portion of his mind commented. Filius Flitwick rolled his shoulders back and tapped into a part of himself he had buried years ago when he was eleven. Filius Flitwick used his Goblin magic, long suppressed, and let it loose.

He began shouting in the harsh Goblin language. It would be stronger if he were on the ground, he thought absently, but he felt the subtle falter of his opponent. People should never underestimate Goblins, especially when they were angry.

…

Severus Snape felt a surge of dark magic run through his faded Dark Mark. He shot to his feet and followed the pulse of malice hanging in the air.

Where would Quirrell be?

He rushed toward the main floor almost running into Septima as she came barreling toward the dungeons.

"Severus," she gasped out, "the pitch."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her with him as he headed toward the main door. "What is Quirrell doing?"

"Trying to kill Potter."

"How."

"He is cursing the boy's broom. How did you know it was Quirrell?"

Severus only glanced at her.

Together they ran toward the pitch.

"What is that?" she asked hearing a booming voice speaking an unknown language.

"Filius." They ran out onto the field to see Potter's broom bucking wildly. It was surprising the boy was able to hang on.

Septima fell to her knees under the pressure of the powerful magics clashing. The Arithmancy teacher had a rare form of Mage sight. She could see magic when she focused. Occasionally, when the magic was strong enough, she could see it without even trying. The battle between Filius and Quirinus was blinding in its intensity.

Severus could see Bathsheda casting cushioning charms but as she got closer to Potter, the broom bucked more violently. Someone, Severus thought, had cast a proximity ward on the broom that must have activated when he started to curse the broom.

"Potter," Severus said as loudly as he dared. Hoping that Quirinus was far enough away that he couldn't hear. "When I say, let go. I will stop your fall."

He heard a weak, "K," and looked at Bathsheda. She nodded. When the boy let go, she would be ready.

"NOW!" he shouted.

Harry let go, his body flying through the air.

Bathsheda ran forward.

Severus heard the screams but ignored them. He let the boy fall until he was close enough. "ARRESTO MOMENTUM." Harry froze in midair about 10 feet off the ground, face pointed at the ground, eyes wide with fright.

"Wingardium Leviosa," Bathsheda said, coming level with the boy.

Severus felt the pressure of holding Potter's weight leave. He dropped his spell. The Runes professor lowered the boy to the ground.

The Ravenclaw team was on the ground moments later.

"Get to the castle. Now," he demanded of the team. They started running toward the castle only to be stopped by walls of flames.

Bathsheda and Potter drew level with him and he could see Potter massaging his scar while wincing in pain. "Are you alright?"

"Feels like my scar is splitting open."

Severus looked at the Runes Professor and saw the concern written across her face as she looked at the jagged scar.

All eyes turned to the manically laughing Quirinus Quirrell as he walked down the aisle of the stands. "It seems, spy, that you have left our lord's service if you protect Potter's spawn." Quirrell reached the rail and flew. He drifted slowly to the ground as if something were lowering him.

Severus closed his eyes momentarily. It seemed the Dark Lord was not gone, after all. "Get behind me."

Quirrell landed on the ground at the other end of the pitch and walked slowly toward Severus and the students.

Septima and Bathsheda were herding the students together, placing themselves between the students and the oncoming madman.

Filius had collected the students sitting in the stands and was directing them toward the others. Once the last of the students were behind the Runes and Arithmancy teachers, Filius erected a dueling bubble, placing the students and the female teachers behind the wall with himself and Severus unprotected to face Quirrell.

"I will kill Potter." Quirinus snarled. "He took my master's body and now the only reason he has form is because of me."

"You will not touch him." Severus was surprised at the venom in Filius's voice.

"You cannot beat me, half-bred."

"Try me, servant."

Quirrell lashed out with no warning. The sickly yellow curse rushed to the diminutive Charms master. He batted it away as if it was a tickling jinx.

Filius was moving. He cast spell after spell. Cutting curses, blasting curses, bone breakers, ice javelins, disarming spells and stunners. The Dueling champion cast quickly, without a word, and all while constantly moving. It was a beautiful thing to witness.

Quirrell was casting just as furiously but he remained stationary. He cast spells and batted others away. He shielded some curses and leaned away from others.

Severus entered the fray. His curses just as quick, just as accurate.

Together, Severus and Filius were beating him back. He was shielding more than attacking now.

Then everything seemed to stop. Quirrell went rigid, then relaxed.

The spells froze in midflight.

The ground shook.

The flames keeping everyone in the stadium faltered.

A breeze seemed to be swirling around Quirrell.

Lightning crashed.

Septima Vector cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

Quirrell laughed, he did not laugh alone.

There was another voice laughing in stereo with Quirrell. "You betray me, Severus." A cold, dead voice called. "I am your Lord. I protected you from the likes of Potter and Black. I gave you power when you had none."

"Master, do not tire yourself by talking to that filth."

"Silence, Quirinus." The voice hissed. "It was because of me that you did not pay for your apprenticeship. I let you play with your potions and did not require you to do what my other children did. I did not demand you bloody your hands all because you are the best I have ever seen with a cauldron. I did all this for you and yet you betray me."

"You did nothing without demanding a price. Those who would follow you were just as likely to fall at your feet as those who opposed you. I could never follow a man who could not see the value of a bright witch with no magical heritage."

He laughed humorlessly. "You leave me because of some whore? You betray my trust because I killed a woman who was married to another? How very pathetic you are, Severus Snape."

"Master, I must insist…"

"Show them, servant. Show them what has become of the greatest wizard since Salazar Slytherin."

Quirinus Quirrell deflated, "As you wish, my lord." Slowly he unraveled his purple turban. His head was bald and appeared to be misshapen. Quirrell took a deep breath and turned away from the watching crowd.

The children shrieked.

Bathsheda gasped.

Filius swore violently in Goblin.

Severus stiffened slightly but otherwise did not react. Internally, he thought he might be sick.

"You do know, Quirinus, that you are living on borrowed time?" Filius asked quietly. "When he leaves your body, you will die."

"I give my life for my master."

Filius shook his head sadly. "Then I have no remorse for what I do next." He looked at Severus. "Can you distract them?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"I can force the soul from the body if given enough time. Once the parasitic soul is gone, he will be unable to attack us with spells. He could attempt to possess one of us but you and I are strong enough mentally to keep him out, especially after Quirinus expended all that magic. Bathsheda should be able to ward the students once she realizes what I am doing."

"Will she see it?"

"If she doesn't Septima will."

Severus nodded and walked forward. "Is it so surprising that I no longer follow you? You killed many of those you claim to champion. If they did not agree with you, you called them blood-traitors. You cut down your followers if they displeased you. How many times did you use the Cruciatus curse on your followers? How many death eaters fell to your killing curses? How many did you let Bella torture into insanity or death?"

"I am your Lord. I was their Lord. They agreed to follow me so they were subject to my version of punishment."

Severus would have smiled if it wouldn't give him away. The Dark Lord, for all of his insanity, loved to hear himself talk. "And the Pureblood families you all but decimated?"

"Blood-traitors and muggle lovers."

"What of the Aurors you killed? They were only following their ministry."

"They joined the wrong side."

"What of the children?"

"What about them?"

"Do you know how many you left orphaned? How many did you and the others kill in your path to becoming Lord of all? What did the children do?"

"Unfortunate side effects of war."

"So, when you let your most vicious torture children, that was an unfortunate side effect?" Quirinus shrugged. "What about the babies?"

"You know why, Severus."

"Oh, I know why, but I also know that Divination is not an exact magic. Trelawney is probably the biggest fraud I have ever met."

"And yet, I have no body."

"And yet, neither of you are dead. Do you really think that a baby, a child barely more than a year old really did something that destroyed your corporeal body?"

"What is your theory, Severus?" He sounded interested.

"Lily. I find it far more likely that Lily did something to protect her son." Voldemort scoffed. "You forget that I knew her better than most. She and I met long before we got our acceptance letters. She was fierce and loyal. She protected her friends violently; I can only imagine what she would have done to protect her son."

"She was a Mudblood."

"She was among the top 5 students in our year."

"I grow tired of this, Severus. I am going to have to kill you now. You should feel lucky. Had my body not been destroyed, I could just drain the life from you because you carry my mark."

Severus made a mental note to research ways to get rid of the blasted tattoo while he prepared himself. He was good, but Voldemort was better. Hopefully, using Quirrell’s body would slow him down.

…

Bathsheda Babbling stood in front of the students as a last line of defense.

"Septima," she looked to the other woman, who was beginning to struggle to her feet, "are you all right?"

She nodded, "It surprised me when the magic flared the way it did. I wasn't prepared for it and it overwhelmed me." She grimaced as the spell-work got more powerful. "I have a handle on it now."

"What do we do? We're trapped in here and I don't think Quirrell intends to let us leave here alive."

"Quirrell’s body is failing. His body will deteriorate faster as he uses more and more powerful magics. With what has already been done, I doubt Quirrell's body would last to the end of the month, that doesn't even begin to address what they might do next."

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"If my guess is correct, he will attempt to take those who he sees as his greatest enemies with him."

"Meaning?"

"Severus, Filius, and…" she glanced toward the students, a certain first year in particular.

Bathsheda nodded. Septima was right. Voldemort's main target would be Potter, no matter how angry he was at Severus. "So, we protect the students."

"That we do."

"How strong a barrier are we going to need?"

Septima did some quick calculations in her head. "Level six. You could maybe get away with a level five but we would have to arrange the children very specifically in that case."

"Level six it is." She looked at the students she had, categorizing what she had to work with. Only the Seventh Year Runes students could work a level six rune shield. She had five students from her seventh-year class, but she only thought three of them could handle it. "Cromwell, Withers, Selwyn, I am going to need some assistance. The rest of you gather together, as close as you can, and stay out of the way."

It started to rain.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Use your sight and try to determine what is causing Potter's scar to react." Septima nodded and headed toward Potter.

"What do you need Professor?" asked one of her students.

"Professor Flitwick is attempting to expel that which is possessing Quirrell but the ritual will not be able to contain the shade once it is forced out. We are going to create a Runic ward around everyone in case we need to block the malevolent spirit as I doubt many will have the mental strength the fight him." She slashed her wand in the air and a sequence of runes appeared written in purple light before them. "This sequence will be carved into the earth seven times to create a full circle around the students." With a flick of her wand the sequence multiplied and expanded, she directed it around the students and formed the circle. "Quickly."

The four got to work carving the runes into the ground as fast as they could.

Filius's circle was completed.

Septima looked up, "Hurry, Bathsheda, the magics are building quickly and I don't know how much longer Quirrell's body is going to hold out."

The other woman gritted her teeth as she finished her second sequence. She stood and surveyed her students. Cromwell was almost finished with her second sequence. Withers had finished one and was starting a second. Selwyn had also finished one and was working toward Withers. Selwyn and Withers finished their final runes. Cromwell finished her final rune. The rune circle was complete.

"What now Professor?

"Septima, I need the four most powerful to stand at the four corners."

Septima let the sight seek out the cores of the students. "Alderton take the south. Zeller take the West. I'll take the east; Bathsheda you have to lead at the north." She walked to her colleague, "The other strong students are too young or too panicked to be of any use."

"What of the center?"

"Potter, his core is so strong and he has yet to reach his majority. He already sits at the center."

Bathsheda's eyes widened.

"Longbottom and Granger will support and ground his magic; they have already formed a strong bond."

The four took their positions and Bathsheda Babbling began to chant in Gallic.

…

Filius focused himself. It was odd connecting to his Goblin magic after so many years. He was forced to make a choice, be a wizard like his mother, or connect to his father's Goblin blood. As both his parents had gone to Hogwarts, he had chosen Hogwarts too. He did, however study with his great Grandfather every summer, without his father's knowledge. It wasn't supposed to be possible to tap into both magics but for some reason he could.

His eyes scanned the pitch, looking for what he needed. He flicked his fingers in the direction of some of the flags flying along the top of the pitch. Five of the poles broke from their places and floated toward him. With another flick of his fingers they spread themselves into a circle around where Quirinus Quirrell stood. He slashed his hand down and the poles dropped, embedding themselves in the ground.

Lightning cracked across the sky as it began to rain. Thunder crashed and Filius Flitwick smiled; that took care of Earth, air and water. Now all he needed was fire and then he could banish the spirit.

5 was a magical number to the Goblins. They were routed in the 5 elements in everything they did; fire, water, air, earth and spirit. Most of the sentient races were. Goblins were strongest in earth. The merpeople, of course, were keepers of water. Fire was ruled by the Phoenix. Air was the realm of the elves and fay. Centaurs had the greatest connection to the spirit. There were others of course but those were the ones who still held rituals.

Filius flung his arms wide and pulled flames from the fires circling the pitch. He directed the flame toward the poles and began to chant under his breath in the Goblin tongue.

With a flash the flames formed a Pentagram around Quirrell. A barrier rose around the pentagram, nothing could go in, nothing could get out.

Filius chanted as the shade of Voldemort attempted to break his ritual. He did not falter. He poured all the power he had into the ritual, the elements pulsing as he attempted to rip the shade from the host body.

Quirrell screamed as lightning crashed above. A black cloud began to seep from Quirrell. Two voices screamed as the shade and body lost their connection.

Filius could feel him fighting but he had used too much of Quirrell's magic fighting them earlier. He would not leave the circle with a body.

With a final, pain filled scream Quirinus Quirrell fell to the ground lifeless.

…

Voldemort felt Quirrell die. Stupid man should have listened to his Lord.

He careened toward the students, bypassing Severus, as he was an accomplished Occlumens, and the Goblin because he didn't want to share a mind with such filth.

‘Ah,’ the shade thought. ‘Potter.’

The shade angled toward the messy-haired first year with purpose. The dueling bubble didn't even slow him down. With every second he picked up speed.

With a deafening boom he was stopped. Runes carved into the ground flashed violent red as the rune shield repelled his essence. He screamed with rage. He had no other option. He headed for the castle.

His magic sought strength. He sped past weak students and pathetic teachers. Where should he go.

Something pulled him. What was that, he wondered. His essence shot into the body of a tall blond boy. He stumbled then straightened, a vicious smile spreading across his face.

"Hey, Higgs," Voldemort glanced toward whoever was calling his current host, it really should stop fighting him, it wouldn't save him. "You want to go check out the Gryffin-dork's practice?"

"Maybe later," he said smoothly. "I just remembered there was something I needed to do for class tomorrow."

"Really? You are going to do your homework?"

"You know how it is, my father has been rather insistent that I focus on school this year. I'll placate him for now. When he sees my first set of grades are improved, I can take it easy."

"Ah, so same thing as last year then." The other boy, Voldemort thought he might be named Graham, turned, "See you at dinner then, Higgs."

"At dinner," he replied smoothly. Now he had things to do, he thought as he made his way up the stairs.

The body of Terence Higgs walked purposefully through the locked door on third floor. He pointed his wand and shot a sheet of ice at the giant beast before opening the trap door. He was not quick enough. A set of powerful jaws clamped down on his left arm. The body screamed in pain but then stopped immediately. Voldemort used a cutting curse to amputate the useless arm still clamped in the Cerberus's teeth then jumped into the unknown.

He landed on a bed of vines. When he moved to stand the vines began to wrap around him. "Devil's Snare? That is one of his deterrents? Pathetic," he said to the empty chamber. "Incendio."

The vines burst into flames as he rolled out. His hosts robes caught on fire but he paid no mind to the burns inflicted. A quick Aguamenti and he was no longer burning.

Stepping through the next door he was faced with birds. No, keys with wings. He rolled Higgs's eyes, "Immobulous," and the keys froze in place. He summoned the key that would fit the lock of the door in front of him and left another pathetic 'trap' behind.

"A chess board? Really Dumbledore, this is the best you could come up with?" He walked to the board and took the place of the king. A quick Imperius on the white pieces and two turns later he had put the King into Checkmate.

"Or was this a test for children?" he mused.

He snorted stepping through to the next 'challenge.' "Another troll, and one I didn't let into the school. How amusing Headmaster."

Voldemort made quick work of the troll; his new host wasn't the strongest but he was powerful enough.

"What pathetic trap do you have for me now?"

As he stepped into the next room flames erupted in front of the door in front of him, as well as the one he just stepped through. "Well at least this one is slightly more thrilling." He walked to the table and studied the potions and the puzzle. He scoffed and picked up the proper potion and sniffed. It seemed right. He downed the potion and felt the host body go cold. "Perfect."

Voldemort walked through the flames.

In the middle of the room stood a pedestal and, on that pedestal, sat a glorious red stone. The Philosopher's stone. He hissed at the man standing next to the stone.

"Whatever are you doing down here, Mister Higgs?" asked Albus Dumbledore, apparently not noticing his many injuries, including his missing arm.

"Do not pretend that you do not know it is me, Dumbledore."

"What of Quirinus?"

"You are well aware of the consequences of such a possession."

"So, you condemn Quirrell, a willing host, as well as young Terence Higgs, who I assume did not offer his services?"

"It matters not. I would have been his Lord eventually. All are required to serve their Lord as he demands. This body's family will be rewarded for his service when I am in power." He held out his only hand, "Give me the stone old man."

Albus Dumbledore looked at the stone in his hand and tossed it to him. "Take it," he shrugged. "Nicholas wouldn't give me the real one. It's only an imitation. You can have it."

Voldemort looked at the stone in his host body's hand and could feel the truth of Dumbledore's words. There was no power in the red mineral in his hand. He threw the hunk of red stone across the room and pulled his wand. "I will kill you for tricking the Great, Lord Voldemort."

"You cannot defeat me as you are, Tom. That body will not last and Quirinus used too much of your power fighting Severus and Filius."

"AVADA…"

Dumbledore flicked his wand and cut Higgs's other arm off at the elbow. "I will not kill him for you, Tom."

Lord Voldemort screamed in rage. "You will pay. One day, you will be at my feet begging for mercy and I will not grant you any."

The shade of Voldemort seeped from the body of Terence Higgs and fled from the room.

Higgs fell to the floor, dead at the age of sixteen.

Albus Dumbledore crouched next to the body. "I am sorry you had to be the first casualty, Mister Higgs. Unfortunately, it was unavoidable. Had the hat done as I asked, I can assure you, you would have made it to seventeen. But, alas, things did not follow my plan and I can no longer arrange things the way I want if I wish to continue shaping young minds."

The old man levitated the body of the Slytherin sixth year in front of him as he made his way toward the infirmary.

…

She woke when she felt a second presence in her mind.

It was familiar but different. She had not felt this magic in many years.

The magic was different than it had been. Something had tainted that which had been.

 **You will do as I say.** The voice hissed in her mind.

 _I will do what you say only so long as it does not oppose my orders_. She only followed the orders of her father. She had learned her lesson the first time.


	6. Adjusting

**Hogwarts**

"Students," Headmaster Dumbledore stood at the beginning of breakfast facing the students. He stood in front of his golden throne on the dais, his way of symbolizing his importance. His normally outlandish clothes were muted, a deep midnight blue with only a little sparkle. He had a melancholy look painted on his grandfatherly face.

"I know rumor has been running wild within our halls, I need to set the record straight."

The hall fell silent, drawn in by his melancholy tone.

"Yesterday, our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor attempted to kill one of the students by jinxing his broom during the annual Ravenclaw practice match. That student was saved by the efforts of his Head of House, Professor Flitwick. Professor Flitwick countered the very powerful jinxing until help arrived. Professor Vector sought out help of her colleagues, finding Slytherin Head of house, Professor Snape first.

"Professor Snape was able to get the student to the ground with no harm. Once the rest of the students were on the ground, former Professor Quirrell attacked. It took the combined efforts of Professors, Snape, Flitwick, Vector and Babbling to protect the students and subdue Quirrell. It was discovered that Professor Quirrell was playing host to the shade of Lord Voldemort." He paused and watched the students flinch, shutter and cry out at the vocalization of the name. "Quirinus Quirrell was a voluntary host to Voldemort and knew that he would die when the shade left him."

Dumbledore sighed sadly and looked toward the Slytherin table. "When the shade was expelled from the body of Quirinus Quirrell it sought another host. Due to the skill of our Runes Professor, the students at the pitch were protected, the same cannot be said for those wandering the halls. It is my sincere regret to inform you that sixth-year Terrance Higgs was possessed by the shade of Voldemort. Voldemort used mister Higgs's body and traversed to the forbidden third floor corridor. Mister Higgs's body was severely damaged before Voldemort abandoned his body. I would like to have a moment of silence for Terrance Higgs, one who fell long before his time."

Albus Dumbledore looked out over those he 'ruled.' The Slytherins were downcast, missing their fallen brother. Evil, every last one of them. He would have to make sure he gave them a chance to redeem themselves at some point.

The Hufflepuffs looked sad. Pitiful. They hadn't lost anyone close so why were they so melancholy?

Gryffindor were showing support, as they should. They did not look particularly sad, just surprised and as if they would avenge the death of a student. Yes, the gallant Gryffindors were proving true.

Ravenclaw was the surprise. Normally they would not care for such things. They would be buried in their books, perhaps seeking answers for those affected by the loss. However, they seemed scared. Oh well, his staff said they had had quite the scare while at the pitch. Perhaps they should be allowed their oddities in light of that, even though all of them were fine in the end.

It was a pity about Quirinus. Now he would have to find a new Defense professor to finish out the remainder of the year.

"Thank you," he said into the quiet. "I am actively searching for a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor but until then the remaining staff will cover those courses. First year will be covered by Professor Flitwick; second by Professor Sprout. Third year will be covered by Professor Vector. Fourth by Professor Sinistra. Fifth year will be covered by Professor McGonagall. Sixth by Professor Babbling; and finally, seventh will be covered by Professor Snape." He almost scowled, almost.

His teachers had vetoed his cover schedule. He wanted it to be totally different but no. Filius and Pomona were best with the younger years so would take first and second. Aurora and Septima would take the next years as that was not their strongest subject and they could handle those years of Defense. Minerva could start adding transfiguration to dueling so she got the fifth years. Bathsheda could add in rune wards and other such defenses to the sixth-year course. He really couldn't argue with any of their reasoning but he had been insistent on Severus taking the first years, he wanted Harry's class to be taught by Severus. It didn't matter to him that the seventh years would benefit most from Severus's knowledge.

Something would have to be done about his staff's defiance, without irritating the castle that is.

"On another note, due to recent events, the first game of the season will not be the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match as it always is. Instead the first match, next Saturday, will be played by Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. The Slytherin versus Gryffindor match will be played the last weekend of the month to allow the Slytherin team to find a replacement for their seeker."

He watched the quidditch teams. Why were they all so accepting of this? The Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws should be outraged. They either lost practice time or lost their chance for an easy victory. Why wasn't anyone acting the way he expected?

"That concludes the announcements for tonight. Tuck in."

Albus Dumbledore sat, looking grandfatherly, as always. What few, if any noticed, was that his ever-present twinkle was absent from his eyes. The Headmaster was not happy.

**Privet Drive**

_Aunt Petunia,_

_I have had a really bad week. I'm okay but this week is making me question whether magic is worth all that we are forced to go through._

_If you remember, I talked about the Ravenclaw practice match a few letters ago. That was yesterday. Everything was going great. I love flying and playing seeker is fun because it lets me do a lot of complicated flying; seeker is the perfect spot for me. My team was behind, we kind of expected it, but we had a chance because I was having a better game than Liam._

_Then things went wrong. My broom dove at the ground at top speed and I couldn't pull up. It stopped diving, also not at my command, and anytime someone got near me it tried to throw me off. My Defense Professor was trying to kill me! He was jinxing my broom, making it dive at the ground, which at those speeds would kill me. Some of the other professors saved me but it was terrifying._

_Professor Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort, the guy who killed my parents. He wanted to kill me too. Professor Flitwick managed to kick the spirit out of the body. When it left it flew toward me and the other students but the Runes professor did something and it hit a shield._

_We found out this morning that Voldemort possessed an older Slytherin student and ended up killing him._

_What should I do Aunt Petunia? Is my magic really worth my teacher trying to kill me just like the thing possessing him killed my parents? I like the classes and I love flying but I liked regular school and football too._

_I love you and I miss you._

_Harry_

_===_

_Harry,_

_I don't know what to say. How could your headmaster let this happen? How could he not realize something was off about your teacher?_

_The only advice I can give you is this; stick it out until Christmas break, if you want to go to school with Dudley, I'll arrange it. If you want to return to Hogwarts after the break that's fine too. I want you to be happy. Whatever you choose to do, I will support you._

_All my love,_

_Aunt Petunia_

_===_

_Neville,_

_I am pleased with your grades thus far. It pleases me that you are doing so well in all of your studies and are making good connections with your peers. It is always wise to choose friends who are willing to learn with you and help as often as they are helped. Your father would be proud. Your mother would be pleased that you have become so close to young Harry Potter, for she was exceptionally fond of his mother. Lily Evans Potter was a good friend of your mother._

_Thank you for sharing the details of your ordeal on the night of all Hallows Eve. You were correct, the Headmaster did not share the details in his weekly missive to the Board. I, however, did share the details and the other members were not pleased. We will be watching the Headmaster and the activities at the school very closely._

_As for your petition. We, the members of the Board of Governors, are looking for a new History of Magic Professor. The board is looking at the school budget wondering where the current History Professor's salary is going. It is being sent out but ghosts do not need money. I will keep you posted on our progress._

_I will send out invitations to any of your friends you wish to invite. If they need transportation, I can arrange a portkey for them as well. I will just need to know which of your friends has access to the Floo and who will need another option for transportation._

_I will see you soon, Neville. I am proud of you._

_Always,_

_Your Grandmother_

**Library**

Hermione and Daphne sat at one of the secluded tables near the back of the library, near the history section. They were working on their potions homework, waiting for Harry, Neville and Blaise. Daphne was nearly finished with her essay but uncharacteristically, Hermione just couldn't focus.

"Daphne," Hermione whispered, "can I ask you a question?"

Daphne looked up, "Of course. What would you like to know?"

Hermione bit her lip, "Well, I've been meaning to ask about what you said to Pansy. Wasn't that a little cruel? She was just jealous or embarrassed and being rude as a result; did you really need to be so harsh with her?"

"I have known Pansy Parkinson practically all my life. Slytherin families do business with each other and start socializing their children early in the hopes that they will form strong bonds that could one day lead to marriage or alliance. I know most of my Slytherin year mates almost as well as I know my sister because of all the time we spent together growing up. What I can say with absolute certainty is that Pansy planned what she said to you. It was not said due to jealousy or embarrassment; it was said with the sole purpose of hurting you."

"How can you know that?"

"I watch people.” If it wasn’t something, she considered inelegant, she would have shrugged. “I study them. The time I spent with other children growing up was educational for me because I spent so much time learning how they worked. I can tell you what is going through most of my year mates’ heads by their facial expression and tone of voice. When Pansy is jealous of someone doing better than her, she goes quiet and sneers a lot. She will stew for about a week before she physically attacks them, usually this means destroying personal property. If she had been jealous of you, she would have destroyed your homework or one of your books. When she is embarrassed, she gets giggly and her voice starts to squeak, she plays it off like a joke."

"So, what did you read from her after Charms?"

"Pansy has been getting pressure from her father to be better in school. We get weekly progress reports from Professor Snape and he sends them to our parents too. The progress reports tell us our overall standing; it doesn't say who is above or below us but it does say the house of the top 10 students. Pansy is not in the top 10. Her father wants her to be higher in the standings and she let slip that you are either number 1 or 2," Daphne smiled slightly, "it isn't hard to guess who is the top student."

"What does my placement have to do with anything?"

"You're muggleborn, Hermione. That doesn't mean anything to a lot of us but it does mean something to most of my house. Pansy's father is and was appalled that she was beaten by someone like you."

"There are other muggleborn students in the top 10."

"Yes, at least one other, but you are the top. To Sebastian Parkinson that is a grievous insult."

Hermione frowned.

"What I heard and saw in Pansy after Charms class was calculated cruelty. She said what she said to hurt you. She said it to bring you down, make you feel less than you are. Pansy wanted you to want to go home."

"Alright, I'll give you that. But should you be cruel in response to cruelty? Isn't there a better way?"

"That incident was the last straw for me. Pansy has been exceedingly irritating since school started. She makes a spectacle of herself often, she's rude and without tact. She has been sewing discord among the other first year Slytherin students. We are walking on eggshells in our own dorm rooms." Daphne sighed, "I have talked to her on a number of occasions, asking her to stop, to let it go. I just want to learn. I want to go to class, make friends outside my parents’ circle and enjoy myself. Pansy is making that difficult. I had a sixth year threaten to hex me because she thought I stole her grandmother's broach. Pansy had 'borrowed' it without asking and stuck it on my desk instead of returning it."

"What happened? With the sixth year that is."

"I gave her the broach and told her I didn't take it. It was lucky that her roommate saw Pansy leaving their room and I didn't match the description. I asked Pansy why she did it and she said she wanted to see how badly the sixth year would hex me before she figured out, I didn't do it. She laughed and said it was too bad no spells had flown."

"That's horrible."

"I'm not proud of the fact that I said what I did to Pansy in public. I had been meaning to talk to her in private, saying basically what I did just without the cold formality. Doing as I did, while not as bad as what she did, is still frowned upon. I went to Professor Snape and asked for him to give me a detention as punishment. He gave me a single detention preparing ingredients."

"Pansy got detention with Filch."

"I'm not sorry she did. She has been skirting the line for too long."

"I can understand your reasoning, and I appreciate that you know that it was wrong."

"Do you forgive me?"

Hermione studied the other girl and smiled. "Yes, I forgive you, Daphne."

"Thank you, Hermione."

"You're welcome."

"Now can we please get back to our homework, I know you are the top student in the year but if you don't actually work Harry and I will take your spot away."

Hermione laughed softly but bent to work on her homework. All was well.

**Staff Quarters, Dungeons**

Severus Snape studied the faded tattoo on his left arm. You could barely make out the details but it was still there. The only thing was, he didn't want it there anymore.

He had meditated a few nights ago and went deeper than he had in years. Generally, he just went into his mindscape to examine his mental defenses but he could go deeper, into the very essence of his magic.

Magic, he had been told looked different for every person, just as each magical signature was unique. When he looked at his magic, it looked green to him. It was the green of an old, dear friend's eyes. He did not know if that is the color others would see but that is what he saw. He avoided going that deep because the color made him think of her.

Now however he needed to look. He had not looked in years. It was still there.

Starting from his arm and running along his magic was a blood red thread of magic that was not his own. The magic wrapped around his magic until it reached his core. That invading thread of magic wound around his core, containing and trapping it. He could see his core, of course, but it was not alone. The thread was weaker than it had been during the height of the Dark Lord's power but he didn't think he could remove it.

Severus didn't think he had the power to remove the thread, not on his own at least. He had a few theories. He could attempt a ritual, but he knew deep down that any ritual used to remove the taint would require blood, therefore making it illegal. He could attempt to use potions to aid him but he wasn't sure which path to take there.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. This was going to be very hard.

"Come in," he called when someone knocked on his door. Filius walked in a moment later.

"Hello, Severus."

"Filius, what can I do for you?"

The small professor studied him, "I thought I should check in on you, see if there was anything you needed."

Severus watched him for a moment, "I need to find a way to get rid of this," he said indicating the Dark Mark.

"Yes, I heard him claim that he could drain you of your magic once he returned to a real body. Do you have any ideas?"

"I thought perhaps a ritual."

"It would most likely require blood so the ministry would not allow it. We could talk to Septima and Bathsheda, they might be able to come up with something that wasn't illegal."

Severus grunted slightly, "I also thought I could use potions."

"In what way?"

"I theorize, that the mark requires magic to form and sustain its presence. If I could lower the power available, I might be able to banish the mark."

"If you lowered your core you would not have the power to banish the mark."

"True, I was hoping I could talk one of my colleagues into aiding me if it came to that."

"I would be happy to help, Severus."

"If I cannot remove it, perhaps I could change who it is tied to."

"It would be something Septima could look into. If anyone could find a way it would be her."

"I also considered asking you if perhaps a Goblin ritual might be able to aid me."

Filius blinked.

"I am sorry if I offended you."

"No, it's not that, Severus. No one has asked anything about my Goblin heritage so it caught me off guard. I don't think about if often myself. A Goblin ritual should be able to do something. I will have to peruse my grandfather's books. From what I remember, the easiest, and least likely to kill you, would be one to change loyalties of the mark."

"I would appreciate it." They each looked into the fire, seeing but not noticing the dancing flames. "Would you mind explaining what it was you did out on the pitch? I have never seen anything like it."

Filius sat up straighter, "When I was young, my grandfather instructed me in the ways of Goblin magic and tradition. It was not supposed to be possible to study both but I did. My Goblin magic and wizard magic are both strong but He is stronger in the ways of wizards. I truly hate to admit to that. He was beating me and Harry most likely would have died so I did what I had not done in many years; I tapped into my Goblin magic. Goblin magic is much more intent based and requires a large amount of ceremony. Focus is always needed. The Goblin language carries magic so Goblins are always careful about what they say. I chanted in that language to counter what he was doing to the broom."

"Bathsheda said it was stronger than his magic."

Filius shook his head, "I don't know about that. It was certainly equal but I do not think I could have beaten him as I was."

"What of the banishing ritual?"

"Are you aware of the Goblin beliefs of magic?" Severus shook his head. "Goblins, unlike wizards, worship the elements. There are 5 elements to life; air, earth, water, fire and spirit. Most of the Goblin magic is grounded in earth, it is why we, they, live underground. It is also why I never use brooms." He smiled slightly but the smile was gone an instant later. "The ritual was one that used all of the elements. A circle of earth; shield of air. Pillars of Fire; tears of rain. These are brought together and held by the eternal spirit who seeks balance. The possession was anything but balanced so the ritual words speak of expelling the taint, freeing the spirit, cleansing."

"You were successful."

"Yes, and thanks to Bathsheda, none of the students in the pitch suffered. I did not think the shade would be able to enter the school."

"I suspect that the Headmaster has done more than he admitted to the school. The wards feel different than they did at the beginning of the school year."

"Yes, they do. Minerva told me that the school gave a warning. Something about returning her to what she was and not using the students as bait for a mad man. Those were Minerva's words so I assume the message was quite a bit different."

"Well, if the castle's defenses are stronger now, I can't complain."

"Neither can I."

**Hogwarts, Fourth Floor**

"Fred?"

"Yeah, George?"

"Do you ever wonder how it is we found the password?" George held up an old sheet of parchment.

Fred frowned at his brother. Strange. "How did we come up with the password to the map?" He scratched his head. "I mean we are always up for mischief but I don't think that we would have ever figured out the password."

"I agree."

"What made you think of that?"

"Quirrell being possessed."

"Do you think the map possessed us?"

"No, I don't think so anyway. We don't seem different to me."

"But what if we are? Would we even notice?"

"Probably not, but our parents would. Wouldn't they?"

"I would hope so. What do you want to do about it?" Fred asked, a bit concerned.

"We could do one of two things." George held up two fingers. "One, we take the map to a teacher and have them check it out."

"Sound idea. If it is dangerous, they take it and save us from whatever danger it poses. But if it isn't dangerous then they will probably take it anyway and we wouldn't have the map anymore."

"Exactly."

"What is option 2?"

"We give the map to someone else and see if they start acting different."

"Who would we give it to?"

"Harry."

"We would have to wait though, wouldn't we? He just had that whole thing with Quirrell trying to kill him so he is bound to be acting just a little off right now."

"True. We could give it to Neville, but I trust it in Harry's hands more."

"I can't argue with that." The twins were silent for a moment. Each searched their minds for other options. "What if we wrote a letter?"

"Who would we write to, Fred?"

"The Marauders."

"What if they are dead?"

"Then the owl doesn't go anywhere."

"Maybe we should write 4 letters, each addressed to a different Marauder and see what happens."

"That is a better idea."

"But we still run into the possibly dead issue."

"You're right. We found it in Filch's office, so who knows how long it's been in there."

"Do you think we could ask the map?"

"Ask it what?"

"I don't know; what year it was made or something."

"Do you think that would work?"

"I think I would feel rather silly asking a map a question."

"Agreed. So, we write letters to the four Marauders and see if they go anywhere."

"Yep."

"You do the writing; my hands are tired."

George glared at his brother but pulled out a sheet of parchment. "Would you like to dictate or should I just write whatever I feel like?"

"Go ahead and just write."

"Have I ever mentioned that I find you extremely lazy?"

"Probably."

"Well, like I said, you, my brother, are lazy."

**Hogwarts, Seventh Floor – Somewhere between the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Common Rooms**

"How are you doing, Harry?"

"I don't know, Nev. I don't really know how to feel about all the stuff that has been happening lately. First a troll, then Quirrell. It's really starting to freak me out. I kind of miss normal things like chores and football."

"Yeah. Things have been really strange. I think it will be better now though."

"Maybe." Harry rubbed his face and then met Neville's gaze. "I will be here at least through the end of term. I will make my decision once I am home and have talked it out with my aunt."

"What will you do if you don't come back?"

"Not sure. I know I am supposed to learn magic to be able to control it, maybe I'll look into tutors or something."

"You could go to school in Ireland."

"Also, true, but if I don't come back, I think I would rather be closer to home."

Neville and Harry both looked at the portrait across from them. Why would someone teach trolls to dance? "I heard from my Gran."

"What did she say?"

"The board is currently searching for a new History of Magic professor. They are pleased that the students have taken an interest in their education and, from the sound of it, embarrassed that they hadn't thought of it when they were students."

"Well, that is one point for Hogwarts. I get two new teachers in the two subjects that really needed it."

"For what it's worth, I hope you stay. You're my best friend. I would really miss you if you weren't here every day."

"You're the closest friend I've ever had too. Your friendship is a big plus for Hogwarts."

"If you do go, we would still write, right?"

"Of course, Neville."

"Harry?"

"Yeah, Neville."

"I really don't want you to go."

Harry didn't say anything.

"I never thought I would be like this. Before I met you, I was sure I would end up in Hufflepuff, not that that is bad but because I didn't have any redeeming qualities so the hat put me there because they would be the only ones who wouldn't completely reject me. I didn't think I would do well in any of my classes. I assumed I would be friendless and the biggest disappointment the wizarding world had ever seen." He turned to face his friend fully, "but because I met you, I am who I am supposed to be. I'm not afraid of what people think. I am doing well in class. I got sorted into Gryffindor, just like my parents, which is exactly where I always dreamed of going. I have friends, in my house and outside it. I'm not afraid of Professor Snape." Harry snorted at that, "What I am trying to say is that you would be missed. I want you here, not just because you are my friend, but because you make me a better version of myself."

"Neville, I didn't do anything. You are you, it's as simple as that."

"No, Harry, it's not. Before meeting you at Diagon Alley, I was a cowardly little boy who was basically afraid of his own shadow. My grandmother terrified me and I could have come here using a wand that wasn't mine and a toad in my hands. I probably wouldn't have had the courage to make friends, let alone ones who are older than I am. Your confidence gave me confidence."

Harry didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything.

"You know how I live with my Gran?" Harry, nodded. "Do you know why?"

"No," he shook his head, "I didn't want to ask because I figured it was probably a tough subject for you."

"Well, you would be right. What you are wrong about, is that my parents aren't dead. I know that is what you thought because it is what everyone who doesn't already know thinks." Neville smiled grimly, "I lost my parents not long after you lost yours, only my parents aren't dead. They just aren't able to do anything."

"Neville, you don't have to…"

"No, Harry, I do. I've been working up the courage to do this for a while now. As I was saying, I basically lost my parents back in 1981 just like you. My parents were tortured by a group of You-Know-Who's followers only days after he disappeared. There is this curse, it is one of three Unforgivable curses."

"Imperius, Cruciatus and the killing curse," Harry added.

"Right. My parents were put under the Cruciatus curse for too long. The pain caused them to lose their sanity and they retreated into their minds and never came back out. To this day, neither recognizes anything. My father literally stares at a wall all day long while my mother likes to hand people trash. Every time I see her, she hands me a candy wrapper. I have saved every last one of them."

"Because they are from your mom."

Neville nodded, "Yeah, I knew you would get it."

"I would do the same. If I had my mother like you did, I would cherish every moment I had with her. But I think it would be so much harder to live with that." Harry put a hand on Neville's shoulder, "you are a very strong person, Neville, to live with that in your life."

"Harry? Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if your parents had survived?"

"Yeah. I love my aunt and cousin, even Uncle Vernon is alright, but they aren't my parents. I used to dream they were alive and I had a little brother and sister that drove me crazy."

Neville smiled, "I always wanted a brother. We would get into all sorts of trouble together."

"I never thought I would hear you say you wanted to get in trouble."

"Getting in trouble at home, parents yelling at you, is a rite of passage isn't it? Having a sibling to get in trouble with would change that. You could take the blame for your brother, or if he made you mad, blame him. You could stick up for each other and get in trouble together."

Harry studied his friend. He could see exactly what Neville was picturing. He had pictured the same from time to time. Growing up he had had Dudley; they were close, most of the time, but their interests were so different. Dudley was a lot like Uncle Vernon, while Harry was, he assumed, much more like his own parents. Yes, they got along but Harry preferred the outdoors and athletic activities; Dudley liked computers and TV.

"Neville," the other boy looked at him, "would you like to be my brother?"

Neville didn't answer for a moment. "How would that work?"

"We would still be best friends; brothers should be friends. We would look out for each other. Support each other. Do all the things we think brothers should do together."

"We could be twins."

Harry grinned, "Fred and George would be so jealous."

Neville held out a hand, "Twins?"

"Twins," Harry answered back as their hands clasped.

**Somewhere**

He was trapped, at least for now.

If he was to be trapped, he supposed there could be worse minds to be trapped in.

She was intelligent, well not up to his level, but few were.

She was knowledgeable on many subjects that most would not know, so he was able to glean some unfamiliar information from her, such as what the half-breed had done to him. He would have to deal with those dirty beasts one day if a half-breed was able to challenge him like that.

Of course, she didn't know everything, but he could live with what he had.

What irritated him was the fact he was trapped. He couldn't get out yet. His power was drained, that moron Quirrell had not only depleted his own power but he had drained his Lord's power as well. If Quirrell hadn't died upon his expulsion from his body, then the Shade of Voldemort would have killed him gleefully, painfully.

He felt her sigh. She did that often; she really didn't like him. It was absurd, they idealized the same man after all. He didn't know why she said he didn't understand Salazar Slytherin's dream. He was his heir and he was working toward eradicating all those impure beings. She, however, claimed that Slytherin didn't want all muggleborn mongrel’s dead, she insisted that he wanted to protect all magic from the mundane. Her assumption and reasons behind the assumption were interesting and he could see how she got there, but she didn't know, not like he did.

_You are the one who does not know._

**I know who he was. I am his heir.**

_By blood perhaps, though you can no longer claim that as you no longer have a body, but not by magic._

**How dare you. I am the strongest wizard alive.**

_I do not see how you can claim to be alive when you do not have a body, shade. You are also not the most powerful I have ever met. You lack knowledge and that which truly makes one powerful. You dabble in things you don't understand and thus limit yourself._

**Lies. You lie to comfort yourself. Nothing limits one such as I. I have gone farther than any down the path toward immortality and I have succeeded.**

_I must remind you that you cannot be considered fully immortal without a body to host your soul. Sharing a body does not count; you will not be immortal until you survive in one body throughout eternity._

**I will outlive you. I will outlive everyone. I will challenge the fates and see the end of time.**

_Then drain me like you threaten to do and leave this place. Oh, wait, you can't. You can't drain me because my magic is out of your reach._

**I will find a way.**

_Try all you want. I will not bow to you._

**Yes, you will. Everyone will bow to me soon enough. I just have to take care of some unmentionable individuals first.**

_I hope those you call enemy are prepared for you. I hope they deliver you to death on a silver platter. What you have done is a crime against the eternal._

**You cannot know what I have done. No one knows what I have done.**

_I do not have to know the specifics. All I need to know is that you live when you should not. That, in and of itself, is unforgivable. Death will not be happy with you when you finally meet him._

**I will never meet him. I will rule, on this plane for all eternity.**

_Death does not like to be thwarted. He will find a way to claim you._

**We shall see host, we shall see.**

_When that time comes, shade, I will stand at the hand of one who is greater than you; one who_ _surpasses you in every way._

**When the time comes, you will not be able to deny me. You will fall to my demands as all like you are compelled to do by the laws of old.**

_You are not the only one. I will stand by one who is like you but not. I will follow his command as all like me will do because you have broken the laws of old. We will see the end of you._

**Then when the time comes, you will burn.**


	7. End of Term

**Owlery**

Fred and George studied the owls owned by the school. They couldn't decide which owls would be best because they didn't know where their letters would be going. Harry had offered Hedwig, she had just returned from delivering letters for Harry and Hermione, and she loved being busy.

"Hedwig, could you come down here?" asked Fred.

"We're probably going to need another owl or two depending on how this goes." Fred hoped the other owls would understand.

"Alright, Hedwig. We are trying to find some people and ask them about something they invented but we don't know their real names."

"We also don't know if they are alive. Can you help us?"

The snowy owl looked at them, the look clearly said they were stupid for doubting her. Hedwig was a scarily smart owl.

"Right, will you know if they are alive when we hand you the letter?"

Hedwig blinked slowly and nodded her head.

"Okay," George didn't know what to think about an owl essentially having a conversation with them. He pulled one of the letters from his pocket, "Hedwig, this letter is addressed to Mister Prongs."

Hedwig plucked the letter from his fingers and paused. She blinked a moment later then laid the letter down on the ledge next to her. The twins would have sworn she looked sad.

"He isn't alive, is he?"

The white owl gave a sad little shake.

"How about this one?" Fred held out another letter, "can you find Mister Padfoot?"

Once again Hedwig plucked the letter from the fingers of the twin holding it out to her. Just like the time before, she concentrated for a moment before laying the letter on the ledge; this one she placed on the other side of her.

"He's dead too I take it?" Fred sighed.

Hedwig shook her head with a squawk.

"He isn't dead?"

Hedwig shook her head again.

Fred and George exchanged confused looks. "Mail redirect ward?" George guessed. They turned when the white owl gave a slightly happier chirp. "I guess he isn't receiving mail, at least no mail addressed to Mister Padfoot."

"Which one should we try next?" Fred wondered.

"Try Moony."

"Because it is a cooler name than Wormtail."

George held out the third letter. Hedwig took the letter from him only to place it back in his hands a moment later. She held out her leg in invitation.

"George, Moony is alive and Harry's beautiful, genius owl can find him."

Hedwig preened at the praise. George tied the letter to her leg securely. "Thank you, Hedwig. If you wouldn't mind could you wait for a reply? Unless he doesn't plan to reply that is."

The white owl bobbed her head before turning toward the open skies and launching herself into the air. Within moments she was only a speck in the distance.

"Would anyone else be willing to try to take a letter?"

A brown owl swooped down to land in the spot Hedwig had just vacated. "Thank you," Fred smiled at the owl. "Will you know if you can deliver the letter?"

The owl only blinked at him before extending its leg toward him. This one was not as intelligent as Hedwig.

Fred shrugged and tied the letter to the owl's leg. It turned and flew off into the air.

"Well, we got 2 out of 4 out."

"Yeah, lets head to breakfast. I'm starving."

\---

Fred and George sat down at the Gryffindor table, sitting on either side of their younger brother Ron. They watched in fascination as their brother shoveled food into his mouth at unprecedented speeds, his rat was sleeping on the table. All in all, it made for a rather disgusting picture.

"Breathe, Ronnie. If you don't stop to breathe you may just kill yourself with food."

"It would be a rather sad way to die, don't you think?"

"Agreed, brother mine. Of all the fascinating ways to die out there, choking on one's breakfast has to be the most mundane."

"It would probably be worse if his rat was somehow the reason for his death."

"Ah, yes, the rat."

"Do you really need,"

"to place your rat,"

"on the table while,"

"you eat."

"It is rather,"

"unappetizing,"

"to eat with your rat,"

"sitting so close,"

"to the food."

Ron finished chewing the ridiculously large bit of food that was in his mouth before turning to face whichever of his brothers finished speaking last. It was George, but he didn't know that. "I will take Scabbers wherever I please. What I find irritating is that you have to talk like that. No one likes it when you talk back and forth like that. It is really annoying."

"Tell you what," the twin on the other side of him said. "We will talk normally, if you learn some manners."

"Stop eating like your food is about to disappear."

"No rats at the table."

"No talking with food in your mouth."

"You get the picture, right?"

Ron scowled. "Since when do you care about my table manners?"

"Since Angelina and Alicia decided to take your poor manners out on us."

"Angie says she can't eat near you, and if she sees you, she loses her appetite. An Angie that misses a meal is not fun to be around."

"Alicia is just plain disgusted. She leaves when you sit down. I don't like the fact that she has been eating at the Hufflepuff table with Diggory."

"The rat at the table thing, however,"

"Really is just gross."

The three Weasley children turned as one when a brown owl landed in front of them. "Plus, owls eat rats."

Ron snatched up Scabbers, holding him close to his chest. "Get that bloody bird away from Scabbers."

Fred reached for the letter, as the owl was holding out its leg. The letter said Mister Wormtail, in his brother's hand writing. The owl took off the moment the letter was removed from its leg.

"Looks like he couldn't deliver the letter after all."

"Well, I guess that's okay. We can trust Hedwig to finish the job."

"Yeah, I just hope he isn't the dumb one in the group."

"I hope he is the funny one."

"It would be better if he was the leader."

"Or the smart one, if the smart one is different from the leader."

"So, we are in agreement?"

"Yes, we are."

"It better be the smart one."

“But I thought we were hoping for the leader?”

**Letters**

_Dear Aunt Petunia,_

_Wow, I can't believe my first term is almost over. I don't think I can leave this behind. The last few weeks have been great. I have a new favorite class; Defense is really great when the teacher doesn't stutter and knows what they are doing. I kind of wish Professor Flitwick would teach it all year every year but I know that isn't his specialty so I guess I will have to live with having him as the teacher of this class until they find a full-time replacement. I really hope they get someone good._

_Quidditch is really great. Watching is a lot different than playing. Ravenclaw beat Hufflepuff, but only because our chaser line is so much better. Their seeker, my friend Cedric, caught the snitch but they were more than 200 points behind when he finally ended the match so my house still got the win. Liam says he thinks I should just play for the rest of the year because he thinks I'm better than him; he is in his NEWT year so he could use the extra study time anyway. To be honest, I think we will have a better chance of getting the Quidditch Cup if I play too. Slytherin and Gryffindor have stronger teams than Hufflepuff. Cedric is basically the Hufflepuff team, but Slytherin are all big and brutal. Slytherin did have to find a new seeker after Higgs died and they ended up choosing two. The first is a seventh year who is just as big a brutal as the other starters. The second is their back up or trainee seeker. His name is Draco Malfoy, a first year like me, and he doesn't seem like a bad bloke; he keeps himself neutral. Their whole idea is to have him train with the team so that he is ready to play in a real game next year. Gryffindor has probably the best players in the school, save the seeker, he is average at best. The rest of Gryffindor are incredible though; the chaser line is so in sync it’s unbelievable. Then there's the twins, they play beater, and, well they're twins so they KNOW what the other is thinking. Wood, the keeper is out of this world good; if we were on the football field, he would be my biggest challenge, he is everywhere and makes it look easy._

_Huh, what else can I say? Oh, do you remember when I mentioned how boring history was because the ghost teacher is so dull? Well we decided to write a petition to get the teacher changed, we got nearly every student to sign the petition. We gave it to the Headmaster but he didn't do anything with it so Neville sent it to his Gran. You remember Augusta, right? She is on the board of Governors and she presented the petition to the rest of the board._

_Drum roll please:_

_The board is currently looking for a new professor for History of Magic! I personally can't wait._

_This might sound funny but I really want to share it with you. Neville and I were talking; I don't know how we got into such a depressing topic but we got really serious. We ended up discussing our parents. Neville's parents aren't dead they are just mentally incapable of normal human interaction. They are permanent patients as the wizarding hospital and don't know who Neville is. He lost them not long after Mum and Dad were killed. During this conversation we wondered what it would be like to have them with us. We both agreed we wished we had siblings. To make a long, emotional story short, Neville and I have decided that we are brothers. We have a lot in common and we get along so well it just made sense. I now have a 'twin brother.' Neville and I are going to look out for each other, like real brothers do._

_I have a question; request of sorts. Neville invited me to attend his family's annual Yule Ball. It is held on Christmas Eve. I know that is when Aunt Marge comes for her visit but I would really love to go to Neville's. Please consider it. It would mean a lot to me to attend my 'brother's' party._

_Can I invite Neville over one night?_

_Well, I should really get to studying; exams are coming up. (I know why Hermione is always the top of our grade. She has a crazy revision schedule)._

_Love,_

_Harry_

_P.S. I'm not kidding about that crazy revision schedule. She has a chart all planned out for end of year exams already mapped out. We start revision in March. I think I need to teach her how to let go and have some fun._

_P.P.S. I want to get something magical for Dudley for Christmas, not something that requires a wand to work, but something that is about magic or is magic. Do you have any ideas? The twins want to meet up to go shopping in Diagon Alley the first week of break._

_===_

_Harry,_

_I am so glad that you are loving school again. I love you and miss you terribly but I knew Hogwarts was where you belonged. Your mother loved magic, your father loved magic, it is a way of life that I didn't want you to miss out on. That said had you decided to come home, I would have been equally happy, just in a different, more selfish way._

_Has the Headmaster been any better? I know you said you didn't trust him much and he did odd things that were really unsafe, but do you still feel that way? Are the other professors making things feel safer for you?_

_Your quidditch stuff confuses me but I am glad you enjoy the biggest wizarding sport. It sounds to me, like your teammate, Liam, thinks you are the best seeker in the school. I'm proud of you Harry. Just remember, to be truly great at any sport you need to work at it, you need to train. You also need to keep in prospective that someday you might not be the best. It is always best to be humble, that way no one can ever use an over inflated ego against you._

_Great job with the History issue. The best way to fix something that isn't right is to take action. I am glad you went through the proper channels to make your schooling better. It is a sign of a great student to want to make a class more accurate, more meaningful._

_I would love to meet your new 'brother.' Yes, you may invite him over during the break. I am sorry he all but lost his parents, but at least you have found each other. I think you will be good for each other. A strong friendship formed for the right reasons can be the most important friendship in a life time._

_Yes, you can go to Neville's ball. It might make the horror that is Marge Dursley more manageable if she has less to complain about; of course, I could be wrong. I would much rather one of us enjoy Christmas Eve this year. How will you get there? I won't be able to take you because of Marge. Is there a wizarding way to get there?_

_Study hard, Harry._

_All my Love,_

_Aunt Petunia_

_P.S. As for the gift. You know your cousin; he isn't too fond of books but he might like a fiction book. He would love something that flew or hovered. Like I said, you know Dudley. I trust you to make a responsible decision. (Try not to get something too crazy though. You know your Uncle too)._

_===_

_Mummy and Daddy,_

_I hope things are going well at home. I know I haven't written in a while but I was busy studying. You know how I get. Sorry._

_Things have improved greatly since the Defense Professor went crazy and tried to kill Harry. It all seems normal now, or as normal as a magical school can be for a girl who grew up in Kensington, that is. I like the lessons; I am learning so much. Thank you for sending me the lesson plans for my year at regular school. Harry and I are keeping up as best we can. He would like to take the end of year exam too._

_We have fixed the History issue, or at least it will be fixed soon. The Board of Governors are on it._

_I was invited to attend a Yule celebration on Christmas Eve. Would it be alright if I attended? I know that is your annual dinner but I never have anyone to talk to so I thought it would be alright. I would love to learn about their holiday traditions so I think this is a great opportunity for me._

_I know I usually write more, pages more, but I have already spent too much time on this letter, it is cutting into my revision time. (My roommates were being rather loud earlier and distracted me). You know how important my grades are to me._

_I will see you soon._

_With Love,_

_Hermione_

_P.S. The owl belongs to Harry. Her name is Hedwig. Please give her some water and she is also rather fond of bacon if you happen to make any._

_===_

_Hermione,_

_As always, life is good in Kensington. Work is interesting, your father had to help out the Wilton boy when his girlfriend's lip ring got caught in his braces, his parents did not know he was dating the girl, it was quite a scandal. Do you know a Kay Downing? Your father said she had purple hair! Imagine a Wilton dating someone with lip piercings and purple hair. I, of course spend most of my time at the_ _surgery. People really need to learn to take care of their teeth, of course the fact that they don't keeps me employed so I suppose I shouldn't complain._

_Edna has been insufferable. Mrs. Pritchard, Edna's neighbor, got two puppies. The things are loud and undisciplined. They bark at all hours of the night and a leave their droppings everywhere. I may not appreciate the added noise to the neighborhood but I really don't need to listen to Edna prattle on about it for hours every week._

_I am glad you are liking school. We expect great things from you and know you will do your best. Why doesn't your school have courses in writing, mathematics or science? I would think they would want their students to be able to function in society. Well, I suppose your potions is a bit like chemistry and Herbology is essentially botany but where are the math, writing and language courses? We are happy to send you all you want to learn. Did you decide on a language? Your French is good; you really just need to practice with someone French. I would suggest Italian; I have always loved Italy._

_We would be happy to allow you to attend a Wizarding Yule celebration. I just have some questions. Is this going to be chaperoned? How will you get there? What time would you be home? Do you need to bring anything? Might I be able to speak with this boy's parents? Is there anything pertinent I need to know? Please let us know what you can._

_Do not worry, love. We don't mind the short letter. Study hard and do your best._

_Love,_

_Mother_

_P.S. Don't forget to bring pictures of your friends and school back, we didn't get you that camera for nothing._

_Love,_

_Dad_

_P.P.S. Tell Harry his owl is lovely. She is the sweetest thing, and so beautiful._

**Library**

It was the last week of term and students were halfway through their end of term exams. Harry, Hermione, Neville, Blaise and Daphne were studying for their final three exams. They had taken their History exam on Monday; surprise, it was on the Goblin wars. Monday had also been the day for their Herbology exam. Neville said it was easy, the others thought they had done well but did not have Neville's confidence on the subject. Tuesday was the day for their Defense exam. The students were thankful that Professor Flitwick had taken over the class after Quirrell's demise; they had learned so much from the charms master on the subject. Harry thought Defense might be his favorite class, as long as someone competent was teaching it that is.

That morning, Wednesday, they had taken their Transfiguration exam. It was the most challenging exam by far, but the group of 5 thought they had done well enough. Hermione was lamenting that there might have been a trace of the original material's design in the ending product for the particle portion; the others thought she was crazy. They would be taking their Astronomy exam that night; they still hated the late-night class despite having been in the class for nearly three months.

Thursday would be their Charms exam; Friday, their Potions exams.

The group was focusing on their Astronomy and Potions notes. Astronomy was that night, hence it being a focus. Potions on the other hand, they guessed would surpass the Transfiguration exam in difficulty. They spent an hour or two on Potions every day that week, making sure they had every potion down. The group planned to study for their Charms exam the following morning as the Charms exam was after lunch.

"Oh, hey," Neville said between a lull in their group quizzes. "Before I forget, my Gran sent the Portkeys for you so you could get to our annual Yule ball." He pulled thick cards with recessed lettering out of his bag and handed one to Harry and one to Hermione. "Daphne, you and your family come every year so I didn't ask for anything additional for you. Blaise, you just needed the Floo address, right?"

Daphne and Blaise both nodded along. "Mother is actually quite pleased with my being invited. She always attends a dinner with a 'friend,' but I am usually alone." Blaise had shared a bit about his mother's almost constant company. The group didn't really want to know any more.

"Mother and Father say that your Grandmother's parties are always the most polished. For them, that is a complement." Daphne flipped he hair behind her shoulder, "I look forward to it because I'm not expected to stand in a corner and look pretty without speaking. Thank you for that."

"Did you invite anyone else? Like the twins or Cedric?"

Neville smiled at Harry, "Cedric and his family come every year. Amos Diggory has similar ideals as my grandmother in terms of politics, so they are on my gran's short list." He shrugged, "I don't know how to invite the twins without inviting Ron. The polite way to do it would be to invite the whole family which would mean their parents, which isn't really a problem, but it would also mean Ron and Percy and I think they have a younger sister too. Percy isn't bad, just pompous. Ron is just kind of loud. We really don't get along."

"I see your point," Harry scratched his head. "Is there any way to get them there though? That is if you want them there."

"I'll have to think about it."

"Are you missing anything by joining a wizarding celebration, Hermione?"

Hermione shook her head, "My parents have their annual dental friend dinner that night. There are half a dozen couples and everyone brings their kids but, age wise, I'm the odd one out. Four of the kids are 4 or 5 years older than I am so want nothing to do with me despite the fact they are intellectually more my speed. The other seven are between the ages of 2 and 7, so I end up watching them when their parents get tipsy. It really isn't a fun evening for me."

"What about you, Harry?" Blaise wanted to know.

"Two words: Aunt Marge." Blaise and Daphne were confused by this but Hermione and Neville flinched slightly. Harry had shared his feelings about the woman with them. "My Uncle's sister, Marge, comes over on Christmas Eve. She dotes on Vernon and Dudley but is downright awful to my aunt Petunia and I. She complains about everything. The house smells like the wrong cleaner; the food has too many vegetables. We have the wrong brand of Brandy, despite the fact that we buy the same brand every time she visits." He shuddered. "She thinks Dudley needs fattening up when I personally know he is trying to tone up. He isn't happy with his weight, he struggles. I feel bad leaving my aunt alone in that situation but she insisted that I go and have fun with people who like me and don't want their dog to bite me."

"Your Aunt Marge sounds horrid." Daphne sounded disgusted.

"She is. The worst part is her dogs. She breeds bulldogs and they are mean little blighters. I think she intentionally trains them to attack my scent. Aunt Petunia has banned the dogs from the house but they still freak me out. When Aunt Petunia decided to let Dudley get a dog Aunt Marge offered up one of her dogs but Petunia's only rule was no bulldogs. I generally like dogs but bulldogs freak me out."

There was a moment of silence, "Alright," Hermione breathed, "how is everyone feeling about Astronomy?" They each indicated that they would pass with little trouble. "I think it is time to move on to potions."

Blaise groaned; potions was not his class. "I really wish I could drop this class."

"Just be glad you don't blow up your cauldron regularly like Weasley does," Neville shuddered. Ron Weasley blew up his cauldron every few weeks all because he didn't read the directions. He always ended up doing the one thing in the entire list of instructions that could cause an explosion.

"There is that."

"Did I hear you say you were going to start working on potions?" The group looked up to find Draco Malfoy standing at their table.

"Yes, we are. Would you like to join us, Draco?" Daphne asked kindly.

"That would be great. Theo doesn't study ahead and I am really sick and tired of teaching Greg and Vince when I should be studying."

"Then take a seat," Harry smiled, "I'll go grab Susan." Susan Bones struggled with potions in the same way Blaise did and had begged to join their study group.

A few moments later, Susan plopped down in the remaining seat. "Woo hoo, another potions genius. Help me Malfoy, you are my only hope."

"Hey," Harry whined, "I thought I was your only hope?"

"Fine, help me, Harry and Draco, you are my only hope of passing potions. Are you happy now?"

Hermione snorted.

Harry grinned, "The best part is, she doesn't even get the reference."

"Are you going to teach them the ways of the Force, Jedi Master Potter?" Hermione smirked.

"Of course, Jedi Granger. It is the responsibility of a Jedi Master to instruct his Padawan in the ways of the Force."

"Is anyone else confused?" asked Draco, he was new to the group after all.

"I am," Neville scratched his head.

"As am I," Blaise sighed. Daphne and Susan nodded.

Harry snorted, which caused Hermione to laugh. Hermione's laughter opened the flood gates and Harry couldn't hold it in any longer. Harry and Hermione only stopped laughing when Madam Pince threatened to kick them out of the library.

Neither could laugh when faced with such a harsh punishment.

**Germany**

He was tired. This was not a surprised considering the night he’d had. His body hurt, again, not a surprise. Sleep escaped him; this was an irritation more than anything. Why did he decide to take a room near a farm with a blasted rooster that didn't know the difference between morning, noon, or night? Not to mention the cows. Why were the cows so loud?

Of course, who could sleep with the tapping at the window. He opened his eyes. Why was there tapping on the window? He was on the second floor of the small bed and breakfast and there was nothing below his window. Nothing to climb, no tree to block the view, no roots. There was no way someone could be tapping at his window.

He groaned as he stood, his muscles screaming in protest. The bird was doing to die. There was no other explanation, it had to be an owl, and the owl was going to die. He would feel bad about it eventually, but right then and there the only thing that would make him feel better would be killing the owl that was tapping at his window.

Pulling the curtains back he saw the most beautiful owl flapping outside the window. Okay, maybe he wouldn't kill her. He could see she was majestic and intelligent, those eyes held wisdom that was rare among men, unheard of in owls.

When he opened the window she fluttered in gracefully, landing on the back of a chair. She tilted her head and he was sure she was apologizing for waking him.

"It's alright, beautiful. I am sure you didn't mean to." She bobbed her head sagely. "You are one intelligent owl, aren't you?" She preened.

Chuckling he walked toward the small bathroom and picked up a glass, filling it with cool water from the tap. "Here, I can get you something to eat later if you would like."

She seemed to shake her head but ducked down to drink. When she had her fill, she extended her leg toward him.

"Thank you. Would you like to stay and rest a while?" She nodded and watched him with her big, inquisitive, golden eyes. "Were you instructed to wait for a reply?" Again, she nodded, this time she tucked he head under her wing and started to snooze.

The tired man smiled at the white owl before dropping his gaze to the letter. He started at the address on the envelope. Who would send a letter to Mister Moony? Everyone who called him that was dead or in prison.

Shaking himself he opened the letter and began to read.

_Mister Moony,_

_First of all, we would like to applaud you on your sheer brilliance and say we bow to the Marauders. We can only assume you were pranksters extraordinaire._

_We are, in essence, your protégés. In our first year of Hogwarts we found a certain map in the possession of a surly caretaker. Through trial, error and sheer luck we managed to discover the secret to said parchment. How we came up with saying, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," we will never know._

_Recent events have worried us, though. One of our professors was possessed by a truly vile shade that tried to kill our honorary little brother, he is far cooler than our actual little brother. While doing this, he actually threatened the entire house of Ravenclaw and a number of the other professors, and we really like Flitwick, so seriously, not cool. The professors managed to dispel the spirit but that killed the man he was possessing. The spirit then entered the school, it couldn't get to the students nearby thanks to some of the professors, and possessed a passing student. We didn't like Higgs, he was on a rival quidditch team, but that doesn't mean he deserved to die, which he did._

_It was these events that lead to us writing you. We would like to know more about the map. Did the map somehow influence our thinking? Is it possible that the map could control us? Were the Marauders, purveyors of mischief-makers, really only about pranks and mischief? How did we discover the password? Is there anything we should know?_

_Normally, these sorts of questions would not concern us; we are fairly easygoing individuals, but it has been a very strange year. We met a really great first year, seriously our 'little brother' is awesome. Then, with said first year, we investigated the out of bounds corridor and found a Cerberus. Not joking here, there was really a giant Cerberus living on the third floor. And then, like we said above, the Defense teacher tried to kill our 'little brother.'_

_We were hoping to share the map with our new brother and his best friend, but if it has some sort of controlling factor then we can't do that. We love the map, it has aided up in a number of truly epic pranks, at least by our standard, but we find we need to know more about it. Any information you could give us would be appreciated. You don't have to tell us how you made it; we would really just like to know what it could do to us. Limitations, if it is benign, would be awesome too._

_Please write back, we will be awaiting your reply._

_Yours,_

_The Terrible-Two (as dubbed by out new brother's best friend)_

_P.S. If this letter is delivered by a lovely snowy owl, then her name is Hedwig. Treat her well, she belongs to our little brother and we would not want anything to happen to her._

_P.P.S. She is really smart so don't treat her like any other owl, it will offend her_

Mister Moony smiled after reading the letter a third time. He hadn't had anything to smile about in a long time. The 'Terrible-Two' seemed like good kids. The fact that they approached him not for themselves but in concern for someone they cared about gave him a high opinion of them. He did not think certain other members of the Marauders would have had the same caution.

The events at Hogwarts concerned him. They concerned him on a number of reasons but most of all because HE started school that year. Mister Moony hopped he was okay; a small, determined part of him feared that he might have been involved in the trouble the Two talked about.

A soft hoot drew his attention. Hedwig was awake and studying him.

"Well, it seems you weren't that tired after all. Don't worry, I plan to write them back. I do have one question." She blinked at him. He took this as an invitation, "is your master's name Harry Potter?" She blinked again, this time it seemed harder, as if she was asking his intentions. "If it is, I mean him no harm. I knew his parents and held him as a baby. He was the light of all of our lives back then."

Slowly she nodded.

"Thank you, wise, Hedwig." He stroked her feathers. "I'll write my letter immediately so that you can get back to Harry. When you see him, would you give him my love?"

She hooted softly and settled in to wait. He seemed to be a good two legged one. Hedwig approved, for now.


	8. Yule Part 1

**King's Cross**

Petunia and Dudley Dursley stood on the muggle side of Platform 9 ¾ waiting for Harry. When he stepped through, Hermione and Dean beside him, they waved and smiled.

"Welcome home, Harry!" Dudley shouted and jogged forward, pulling him into a hug.

"Hey, Dudley," Harry hugged his cousin back, he was pleased that his cousin had kept up with his exercise regime. "How's Beans?"

"Mom wants to kill her. She is messy and barks all the time. Dad, on the other hand, loves her. She sleeps on his feet when he watches the telly."

"Sounds like a dog to me." Harry looked past Dudley to his aunt. He could see the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes. "Hi, Aunt Petunia."

She opened her arms and he rushed into them. They squeezed each other tightly for a long moment before pulling away and grinning at each other. "Welcome home."

Harry turned his gaze back to his muggle born friends. Dean was waving good bye, following his mother and brothers out of the station. Hermione and her parents were still talking a few feet away. "Aunt Petunia, I want you to officially meet Hermione." He grabbed her hand and dragged her toward his friend. "Hermione, I would like you to meet my Aunt Petunia and my cousin Dudley. Aunt Petunia, Dudley, this is one of my best friends, Hermione Granger."

She smiled, “It's a pleasure to meet you both. These are my parents Doctors Patrick and Evalyn Granger."

Her Parents smiled widely, shaking hands all around.

"Lovely to meet you," Evalyn smiled. "We have heard so much about Harry since the beginning of the year and from what Hermione tells us he is a smart, nice young man. We would love to get to know you and your son better."

"Would you like to join us for dinner? Evalyn and I were planning to stop at a great little Italian place before heading home."

Petunia looked at her boys, "That would be lovely. I was planning to stop with the boys myself. Vernon is eating out with business associates tonight so he is taken care of."

"Fabulous," Evalyn grinned, putting her arm through Petunia's and leading her toward the parking lot.

Harry and Hermione shared a look, both of them shrugged. "Well, I suppose we should follow them, shouldn't we?" Mister Granger grabbed the cart carrying Hermione's trunk. "Come on then."

Harry started pushing his trunk forward, Hermione and Dudley on either side of him.

\---

The Dursleys and the Grangers spent an enjoyable time at an Italian restaurant not far from the station. They found they actually had a bit in common, save for the fact that the Dursleys knew what the strange things happening before Hogwarts were. Both spent a great deal of time working toward giving their children the best opportunities they could. It was odd, they had spoken before, at scholastic competitions, but they had barely interacted and didn't remember much. Petunia, Patrick and Evalyn were all extremely pleased that Harry and Hermione had found each other at school, they both supported and challenged each other in a way that no one had at their previous schools.

"So, Harry," Petunia said as their dessert arrived. "How did you do? If I remember correctly, they sent you home with your end of term results."

Harry smiled shyly; he was happy she brought it up. He was rather excited about his grades. "Yeah they handed them out at breakfast this morning."

"Give them up, Harry."

Harry rolled his eyes humorously as he dug his grades out of his pocket and handed them over to his aunt. She and Dudley examined them closely. Petunia's eyes lit with pleasure; Dudley looked confused. "What is an O?"

Hermione had handed her parents her grades at the same time. They looked up at Dudley's question, just as curious as the boy. "O stands for Outstanding and is the highest grade you can achieve." Hermione was positively glowing as she relayed that information.

"If you look at the next page it tells you the position in each class for the entire year group." Harry knew Hermione was ecstatic with her results. "Hermione was top in History, Transfiguration, Astronomy and is tied of the top spot in charms with me. Neville ended up top in Herbology, obviously; I was third and Hermione was fourth. I ended up top in Defense; Hermione was third, right behind Blaise. Draco is the top in Potions; I took second, Hermione and Daphne are third, Neville fourth. I'm second in History and Transfiguration, third in Astronomy behind Draco; his mother's family is apparently crazy obsessed with the stars so he knows the stars." He grinned at his brunette friend, "All in all, Hermione is the top student of the year, I'm second and Daphne is third. Neville, Draco, Blaise and Susan are in the top 15."

"Well, it's a good thing we ordered dessert already," Evalyn Granger smiled. "If we hadn’t, I would be flagging down our waiter because we need to celebrate!"

"Great job, Poppet," Patrick said smiling at his daughter.

"Your parents would be so proud of you, Harry." Petunia looked a little misty eyed as she said this.

Dudley picked up his soda, "To Harry and Hermione. Well done during your first term at your exclusive school."

"To Harry and Hermione," the group chorused.

A few moments later their dessert arrived and the kids dug in while the adults sipped at their coffee. "So, do you know any of the other kids they spend all of their time with, Petunia?" Evalyn asked. She had not met the other children of their group but had heard a great deal about them. She did want an adult's opinion though.

"I have met Neville. He's a great kid. We met him and his grandmother in Diagon Alley last year. His Grandmother is a rather strict woman but she cares; I think she is as protective as she is because Neville's parents are out of the picture, I don't know the story though. When I met him, he was a shy boy but I could see him coming out of his shell as the day went by. I think I may have held him the one time I visited my sister before she died. If I remember correctly, she and Neville's mother were close. I haven't met the others of their study group but I have met Dean Thomas, the boy they walked out with. He is a typical boy; completely football obsessed."

"You know Justin, Mummy." Hermione looked up from her dessert. "We've dined with the Finch-Fletchleys."

"Yes, dear, but you don't spend a great deal of time with Justin. You talk about Harry, Daphne, Neville and Blaise in your letters. Susan, Dean and Justin occasionally make appearances."

She nodded; this was true. She really didn't spend much time with anyone else.

"The ones I would like to meet are those Weasley twins. Harry talks about them all the time. Says they are hilarious." Petunia smiled. "They're identical, aren't they?"

"They are," Hermione smiled. "Harry has been able to tell them apart from day one. I have no idea how he does it. It always takes me a second to figure out which one is which and I can only tell the difference because Fred is the more rambunctious one."

"Their magic isn't identical," Harry said absently.

"What do you mean by that, Harry?"

"They're slightly different. I can tell when someone has magic just by how they feel and each person feels different."

"Is that how you know when someone is standing behind you?"

"Yeah, I could always feel something different in some people but ever since the start of school I have been able to feel more. I really wanted to be able to tell the twins apart, they were the first ones I could feel when they got close. After the troll, I started focusing on my friends to see if it was the same. Once I focus on someone, I get a read of how they feel and then I can sense them when they are close."

"Do you know what it is?"

"No, I only just started realizing what I was feeling. I think the Quirrell thing kind of scared me into analyzing my surroundings more. He always gave me the creeps; I just didn't know why."

"You should talk to Professor Flitwick when we get back to school."

"I was planning on it." He smiled. Hermione smiled in return, hers so much brighter. To her that meant Harry had no plan of staying in the muggle word.

**Privet Drive**

Harry, Dudley and Petunia were later coming home than expected, they had lost track of time at dinner with the Grangers. When they arrived, Vernon and Beans were dozing on the couch, the telly on in the background. Vernon woke up when they ambled in.

He stood and made his way to the entry way, "Sorry we were later than we thought," Petunia smiled at her husband. "We had dinner with Harry's friend Hermione and her parents. They are lovely people; they own a dental practice in Chelsea."

"That's quite alright, Pet." He turned his attention to his son and nephew. "Dudley, I think it's just about time for Beans to head out before bed," Dudley nodded and called the dog, leading it out to the backyard. Vernon looked at Harry, "Welcome home," he said gruffly. "I'll help you get that upstairs."

Harry smile, "Thank you, Uncle Vernon."

"How was your first term," he asked while lifting one end of the trunk.

"Really good. I took second overall for my year."

Vernon nodded, "Good showing, Harry. A very good showing."

**Diggory Residence**

Amos Diggory was a proud father. His son was the light of his life. He would do anything for Cedric. So, when Cedric asked if he could have two of his friends over for the holiday he said yes, as long as they were from good families at least. When he learned they were Arthur's boys, he happily agreed. He thought it was too bad that the family wouldn't be spending time together this holiday. He could not imagine going off and leaving his Cedric. Sure, Molly and Arthur had seven children but they would only be spending the holiday with 2 of their children. So, Amos welcomed the Gryffindor twins with open arms.

Cedric warned him they were pranksters, but Amos vaguely remembered James Potter and his friends from his final year at Hogwarts; if he could survive them, he could survive anything.

"Thank you for letting us visit for the holiday," one of the twins said that first night.

"We really appreciate it," the other continued. "We really didn't want to be stuck in the tower with only our brothers for company."

"Percy is, well, Percy. He is a Prefect but he is taking the job way too seriously."

"And Ron is angry with us. You see, we are friends with Harry and he isn't. To him, that is unacceptable."

"It's no trouble boys. I know Cedric likes you despite the quidditch rivalry."

"Awe, we didn't know you cared, Cedric."

"Blame Harry. I used to find you slightly annoying, fun but annoying if I spent too much time around you. With Harry around, you are more mature. He brings out the best in a lot of people."

"Yeah, our little Harry is something special, isn't he?"

The three third years nodded together.

"Who is this Harry you keep talking about?"

"Oh, sorry, dad. Harry Potter started this year and he is actually friends with a lot of people from different houses and different years."

"Ah, I guess he is in your house then, Messrs. Weasley?"

"No, actually he is a Ravenclaw. Rumor is he is one of the top first year students."

"A Ravenclaw, you say? That's rare for Potters. Potters by birth have been Gryffindors for hundreds of years. The only Potters that haven't been in Gryffindor married into the family."

"Well, Dad, I guess not being raised by Potters has made a difference."

"I suppose you're right. Now, Fred, George, we were invited to attend the Longbottom ball, as we always are, I will have to speak to Augusta and see if she minds me bringing extra kids along."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Mr. Diggory."

"Neville invited us too."

"He was actually really happy we were going to be staying with you, Cedric."

"It meant he could invite us without inviting Percy and Ron."

Cedric laughed, "I can see why that would be exciting. Percy has turned into a real tyrant this year and Ron," he scratched his head, "I guess Ron just has some growing up to do."

"And that, Cedric is why you're the Hufflepuff. We Gryffindors would generally just call him a prat."

"Or really annoying if we were talking to family."

"Or around Neville; he likes to be nice too."

Amos smiled; he liked the boys. He thought they could help his son relax. "Well, why don't you all go get settled in. Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes. After that you should all head to bed. I was planning to take you to the Alley tomorrow so you could finish up any shopping you didn't get to in Hogsmeade."

"Thanks, dad. I'm almost done but I do have a few things I planned to get in London." He led the other boys up the stairs toward the bedrooms.

Fred and George stopped suddenly, causing Cedric to look back at them. "Is something wrong?"

They nodded as one, "We have no idea what to get Hermione for Christmas!"

Cedric thought about that. What did you get for a girl who didn't eat sweets, didn't like 'girly' stuff and loved to read but had most likely read every book you could come up with?

\---

George was honestly surprised. When they had received the letter from their father telling them they had to stay at school for the holiday because they were taking Ginny to visit Charlie, he had been more than a little crushed. He loved Charlie. He missed Charlie. So did Fred. Their parents had to know that they missed their brother, so why were they only taking Ginny? Yes, she was the baby, and if he was honest with himself, the favorite. However, the fact that Ginny was the favorite shouldn't affect the rest of them.

He and Fred had already been disappointed they probably wouldn't get to go to the Longbottom ball because of their family, they really didn't blame Neville for that, he knew his family was a handful. When they received the letter, their Christmas went from a bit boring to downright terrible. They knew their siblings. Percy would try to make everyone spend the day together, in doing so he would make schedules and take all the fun out of it. Ron would rebel against Percy to start out with, then he would complain about the gifts he received. Their little brother, for some reason, couldn't handle that he wasn't rich and couldn't have everything he wanted. Charlie gave him his old broom; he wanted a brand new one.

Then there was Cedric. George wasn't sure why he was at the Gryffindor table that morning but he was. Upon hearing the news, and knowing Neville's wish that the twins come to the holiday ball, he had invited them to stay with him. His offer had been sincere and he had said that he wanted to get to know them better. Sure, they had grown up near each other and gone to school together for three years, but they didn't really interact off the pitch. Cedric wanted to do what Harry was doing and make friends outside his house. Honestly, so did George.

"Good Morning, um George?" Cedric guessed.

"Good morning, Ced. Good guess."

"Harry said you are the more serious twin so I figured if one of you was awake early it would be the serious one. How does he tell you apart anyway?"

"I have no idea. I'll have to ask him sometime. Thanks again for inviting us to stay."

"Like I said, no problem. I really do want to branch out from Hufflepuff. I'm close with a lot of people in my house but I have recently realized that until this year I didn't really talk to anyone else. I had that little rivalry going with Roger, both of us claiming we'd make the team this year, we were really jealous that you and Fred made it on last year. Beyond that, I didn't really talk to anyone unless we were paired for an assignment."

George nodded along. He agreed with the other boy's sentiments. "Do you ever feel stupid for just doing what everyone has always done? I look back and see that I just followed along. I knew you a little from when we would run into each other while roaming around but because your robes were trimmed in yellow and black, I completely ignored you."

"I do feel stupid. I'm a Puff. Hufflepuff is all about acceptance and fair play. We work hard and we're loyal; if anyone was to do what Harry is doing, I would think it would be a Puff. Instead, it's a Claw! Claws, in my experience are almost as inclusive as Snakes. They are all about the brains and if you don't make the cut, you basically don't exist."

"Well, at least I'm not the only one thinking it."

"Things have got to change, don't they?"

"I think so. I don't know why, but until this year I didn't notice anything was wrong."

"The house rivalries are going too far. Shouldn't we leave that on the pitch?"

"You heard about the Parkinson incident, right?"

"You mean the time Parkinson used that colorful term for a muggle born?" George nodded, "yes, I heard all about it. Susan was very vocal concerning it. She has been trying to do what Harry's doing, her aunt told her before starting school that once you leave your house means nothing so you shouldn't limit yourself. I find it disturbing that the first person in my memory to do anything beyond additional name calling is a Slytherin."

"Greengrass does have style. You're right though, when someone uses that slur, or something similar, we shouldn't descend into name calling and spell revenge. That may be satisfying in the moment but it doesn't fix the problem. Going to a teacher, like Flitwick, does make at least some difference, the students at least now know they can't say that around Flitwick."

"Sprout and McGonagall are sure to be the same. I wouldn't be surprised if Flitwick got the rest of the staff in on it. He's been very involved this year."

"It's Harry. He seems to be changing everything without doing anything."

Both teens looked up at the sound of tapping on the window. George jumped to his feet and rushed to open the window. "Hey, Hedwig. Is that the reply from Mister Moony?"

The white owl flew into the room and landed on the coffee table. She shook herself to straighten her feathers then nodded at the red head. When he crouched before her, she extended her leg so he could take the letter from her.

"Hey, Cedric, could you get Hedwig some water? Owl treats too if you have any handy."

"Sure thing, George."

"Thank you for doing this," he said to the golden eyed bird. "Did you have any trouble." She looked at him as though he was stupid for asking. He chuckled, "What was I thinking? You never have any trouble, do you?"

She puffed up her chest and cooed in reply. She knew she was a good owl, the best owl for her boy.

He looked at the envelope. "Should I wait for Fred? Or should I go wake him up?"

"Don't think that is going to be a problem, George. I heard Fred stumbling down the stairs, he should be right behind me." Cedric put the water down next to the owl and held out an owl treat to her. She studied it as though it was lacking. "I know you prefer bacon but mum hasn't started breakfast yet."

She rolled her eyes but took the treat anyway. She could get bacon later.

"What's going on?" Fred asked, yawning as he walked into the room. He froze at the sight of the white owl. "Good morning, Hedwig. Did you bring us a letter?" Hedwig turned her attention to George, staring intently at the parchment in his hand. "Right, stupid question. Well, what are you waiting for? Open it up."

George looked at Cedric then his brother. Did they want to share this with the Hufflepuff? Shrugging he opened the letter and began to read.

_Agatha and Enid,_

_It was lovely to hear from you. I am quite enjoying my time here. Greece is a beautiful place. All that history and architecture. I wish you could see it too._

_I am so sorry to hear about the Hemorrhoids. I have been told they are dreadfully uncomfortable. All I can say is that I am glad it isn't me and suggest you try a new healer. The one you have seems to be truly incompetent._

_Wouldn't it be amazing if there were passwords for more things? Just think, if you wanted you could put a code on everything and only people who knew the password would be able to gain entry. I read a book where all correspondence between old friends was coded from a childhood memory; something they said all the time while at school. I found it quite fascinating._

_I hope you are having a lovely time in the retirement home. I know you weren't pleased when your children insisted but perhaps it is for the best. This way you actually have someone who comes to visit often._

_Write again soon,_

_Yours,_

_Selena_

George read through the letter twice before he got it. He snorted and handed it to Fred. His brother's face went from barely contained excitement to absolute confusion in a second.

"What?"

"Read the third paragraph again."

Fred did as instructed, shook his head then read it again. He too snorted upon realizing what Mister Moony had done. "Do you have your wand on you, I left mine upstairs."

"So, did I," George grumbled.

"I've got mine if that helps."

The twins exchanged a look, silently getting the others opinion on whether they should allow Cedric in on part of their secret.

After a moment George turned to Cedric, "Alright, if you wouldn't mind, would you point your wand at the letter and say 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good.' The person we wrote to hid the message behind a password."

"Sure. Do you know how to do that? I think that would be a very interesting thing to know. Useful too."

"Not sure how to do it, just know he did it."

"Too bad," Cedric shrugged and said the words he was asked to say. Before their very eyes the message changed. The writing changed, turned more masculine and shrank down so more wording would fit on the page. "I really need to learn how to do that."

The twins nodded, George picked up the transformed letter and once again began to read, this time it was addressed to the Terrible-Two.

_The Terrible-Two,_

_I can honestly say I never expected to receive a letter asking about the map. Mister Wormtail had it in possession while doing something Mister Filch did not agree with and while it was wiped at the time, the caretaker took the blank pages anyway. I never understood why he thought blank parchment looked suspicious._

_You don't have anything to fear from the map. It was designed to make pranking that much easier. My friend's lives revolved around pranks and because of this they spent a great deal of time in detention because they often got caught. Mister Prongs was irritated by this pattern and made a comment along the lines of 'if we knew someone was coming, we could avoid getting caught.' That one comment led to the making of the map. We spent three years mapping the school; Mister Wormtail was very good at finding hidden passageways. Misters Prongs, Padfoot and myself did most of the research on how to make the map work._

_Mapping the school was the easy part, making everyone show up on the map in real time was exceedingly difficult. How exactly we did that I will only share with one person and I am sorry to say that isn't you; it is his legacy; it will be his choice to share it beyond the Marauder family._

_As for how you discovered the password. Mister Padfoot questioned what would happen if the map was lost at some point, he assumed long after our great grandchildren were dead. So, he suggested that the map had some way of aiding a prankster in need. I assume you have at least seen a magical portrait and know that it contains a copy of the subject's consciousness. This copy is not the person but can react in the ways the subject would. The portrait will have the memories of the person up to the point of the portraits completion unless it is updated. That is basically what we did. We took copies of our school selves and placed them in the map. You won't see our faces but a part of us is within the pages of the map._

_Mister Prongs decided that there would be two methods for discovering the passphrase. The first would be is someone asked. If you point your wand at the map and ask it questions about its origins Messrs. Wormtail, Moony, Padfoot and Prongs will answer. Be warned, we were pranksters and often got off target. The second option is for those who don't think to talk to parchment. The map can sense a bit about the world around it, most specifically intentions. If the person holding the map was looking for a way to sneak around for the fun of pranking the map would suggest it subconsciously with a push of magic. If the person had no sense of fun and adventure, then they would never learn how to work the map from us._

_The map has few limitations. Every person in the castle will be displayed, at least I don't think one of the others discovered a way around the map’s enchantments. Polyjuice will not fool it either; it will show who is really under the potion's guise. The only thing I can think of is that it will not show if someone is in their Animagus from. So, if someone were a small Animagus you may see them on the map but never see them right in front of you. The map will also only show what we found. If there is a room we did not know about, it won't be on the map._

_The Marauder's Map really was designed to make pranking easier, or in later days, make it easier for Misters Prongs and Padfoot to stalk the girls they were into._

_I have to say I am extremely concerned about what is happening at Hogwarts. There is someone very important to me that started his first year this year and I don't want him anywhere near any of that but I fear he was right in the thick of it. Perhaps I will see you one day soon boys. It looks like I will be heading back to Britain._

_I have enclosed a letter for someone I have been attempting to contact since he was four years old. My access to him was barred by a man who had no say in the matter and unfortunately, he has more political clout than I do, so when it is his word against mine, I knew I would lose. If you wouldn't mind, could you please deliver that letter for me? I had thought that my letters would get through now that he is at school but the mail redirect wards, at least where I am concerned, are still in place._

_I enjoyed hearing from you boys so if you ever need advice please don't hesitate to contact me. Your letter reminded me a bit of Prongs and Padfoot back in school._

_Respectfully,_

_Mister Moony_

_P.S. Is your 'honorary' brother Harry, Harry Potter? You don't have to lie; the owl confirmed her master was Harry Potter. I will tell you a secret, Harry Potter is the son of Mister Prongs. That being said, would you please give him the enclosed letter? I have sent him hundreds of letters in the last decade but every single one of them was returned unopened._

_P.P.S. Would you give him a hug for me? I haven't seen him in over ten years and I miss him terribly._

George looked at the second envelope that had no address on it. Wow, Harry really was something else.

**Diagon Alley**

Harry wandered down Diagon Alley, heading toward Witch's Brew, a coffee shop not far from the book store. His uncle had dropped him off so he could do some shopping for Christmas for his friends and family. Luckily his aunt agreed to let him go after he said Neville would be there and his gran would be doing her own shopping. He and Neville had decided to go shopping together so they could coordinate some of their gifts and bounce ideas for the others.

It was cold out; Harry was looking forward to some hot chocolate. He wrapped his Ravenclaw scarf tighter around his neck and rubbed his gloved hands together. He was immensely glad it wasn't raining, as it often did in London. He had already taken care of his gift for Neville but he had yet to buy anything else. He got Neville some plants. To some people that would seem strange but for Neville it was perfect. He had stopped at the Herbologist’s on his way in and picked up some seedlings for Neville. Harry had also gotten him a cutting from his aunt's favorite rose bush, it had been a gift from his mother and was actually a magical variety that bloomed year-round and changed color every season; she had to keep it in the back yard for that reason.

He had a general plan for Hermione. Most people would think books, well he was thinking that too, what else could he get her? He was going to ask a worker what the most obscure sections were and then decide from there. Hermione would love a new unknown subject.

Stepping into the shop, Harry let out a sigh. Warmth seeped unto his bones. Looking around he noticed Neville wasn't there yet so he got into line, he would order Nev a hot chocolate if he didn't show before Harry reached the front.

"Hey, Harry."

Harry turned and smiled at Neville, "Hey. You're right on time, my turn is next."

Neville chuckled. "That's what I do, get there just in time. Do you know where you want to start?"

"Not really. I'm kind of stumped on some people and the one person I know what I want to buy will take me some time so I wasn't planning on starting there."

"Okay, then how about we start with one friend and move down the line?"

"Alright, I want to get something for everyone in the study group, the twins, Cedric, Rodger, Dean and maybe Penny."

"I agree, though I have no idea what to get Dean."

"I had an idea about that and thought you might want to go in on something with me."

"What were you thinking?"

"Well, you know how Dean loves football?" Neville nodded, a smile that said he was well aware on his face. "Right, so his favorite team is West Ham and he has always wanted one of their official jerseys but he knows his family doesn't have the money for something like that."

"So, you want to go in together and get it for him?"

"Yeah, Hermione wants to join in on the gift so we were thinking of getting him a West Ham jersey and a hat, she can pick it up if you agree."

"How much?" Harry told him the figure, his best estimate in Galleons, and Neville nodded. "That is about perfect then. Set it up."

"Great, I'll call her when I get home. Now, what about Cedric?"

Harry and Neville worked through their friends one at a time. They spent a good deal of time in Quality Quidditch, getting new gear for their third-year friends. Cedric, they got high quality gloves for. The twins, new training bats, theirs were ancient and in really bad shape. Roger also got a pair of gloves, his for chasers. Those gifts they paired up on as the gear wasn't cheap, they planned to add a chocolate frog to each gift. Harry also got Draco a practice snitch; he had replaced Higgs on the Slytherin team. Neville was going to get Draco a variety pack of candy; he wasn't as comfortable around him as Harry.

Next was the study group. Neville said Susan loved the color green, hated pink (red heads did not look good in pink according to the girl) and was obsessed with Pandas. Harry got her a green and purple plaid scarf and hat; Neville got her a fairly ridiculous green shirt with a panda on it, he said she would think it was both hilarious and adorable.

Daphne was a much more serious girl; both knew she would never enjoy a goofy shirt. They went in together and got her a shoulder bag spelled to weigh no more than five pounds and with extension charms. The bag was a silvery gray with green trim, for an extra 3 sickles they got her initials placed on the bag also in green. Her current bag didn't hold all the books she wanted to carry so she ended up holding at least 2 books a day. Harry knew Hermione's parents had already gotten her a bag like this, which is why he couldn't get her one.

Blaise was a mystery to them. The boy was very reserved and didn't share much about himself. All they really knew was that he was an intelligent, sarcastic boy who was not a fan of potions. Harry suggested heading to the book store, they could probably find something that would interest the boy.

As Harry had planned, he asked an employee for obscure topics. She took him to some dusty stacks in the back of the store. It looked as though no one had been in the area in years. Neville left him to his search and headed toward the defense section, figuring now would be the perfect time to buy his gift for Harry, well part of it. He had already gotten him a wand holster and wanted to add a book on defensive spells.

Harry was perusing the section on languages when he saw a book that he thought he might get himself, titled Language of Magic; the Secret of the Snake. He grabbed the book and tucked it under his arm. Mermish seemed limited. He didn't even want to look at the book teaching Troll. Giant seemed equally horrible. Perhaps he should look in the next section over, he thought and stepped to the next set of shelves. These books seemed to be on the topic of mind magics. He picked up a book that claimed to be about organizing the mind in the most effective way. That seemed useful. Now what else?

Neville walked up and showed him two books, one on Norse runes, the other on Egyptian. "I thought she might like to study ahead. We can't take runes until third year."

Harry smiled, "Perfect. I was thinking this book on organizing the mind. Apparently, it is the first step to learning Occlumency."

"That sounds perfect for her, and it is really something useful. What else have you got?"

Harry handed him the book while continuing to search, "I think I want to keep that one for myself. Something about it seems interesting and I really like snakes. What about a book on Alchemy?"

Neville didn't answer. He was staring at the book Harry handed him, "Can you read this?"

Harry looked at his friend in confusion, "Yes. Why?"

"It looks like a bunch of squiggles to me. Harry, what exactly does it say?"

"Language of Magic, Secret of the Snake."

"Harry, have you ever spoken to a snake and understood it?"

Harry shrugged, "A few times. There was a snake living in the garden at home for a while. Then there was the boa constrictor at the zoo over the summer."

"Harry, being a Parselmouth, having the ability to talk to snakes, is really rare." He bit his lip, "It is also kind of seen in a bad light because of some of the people who had the gift."

"What does that mean?"

"Be careful who you share this with. Make sure you trust them before you do. Not everyone is going to see you when they find out, they will see the reputation Parseltongue carries around." Neville stepped up to a shelf behind Harry and plucked down a book, "you should give this to Hermione." He handed Harry a copy of Rare Magical Gifts. "She can fill you in on all the strange gifts people are occasionally born with and the public misconceptions about them."

"What are we going to get Blaise?"

"I'm going to get him a tie. I really can't think of anything else. Hopefully he likes ties with dancing Santas."

Harry snorted and turned to the last book shelf, his eyes landed on a group of books he never thought he would see in the wizarding world. "They have a muggle section?"

Neville turned and looked at the shelf Harry was indicating, "I guess so."

"Then I am getting him some Sherlock Holmes. I think Blaise will enjoy his sense of humor."

"Great, let's get all of this paid for. Then I need to get you outfitted for the party."

"You mean I have to go shopping for clothes?"

"Yes, Harry. You have to go shopping for clothes. My gran has a strict dress code so that means you need some dress robes."

Harry scowled. He hated shopping for clothes.

They were just stepping out of Twill Fit when they spotted a pair of identical red heads walking down the street. Cedric was between them and they were laughing.

"Cedric," Neville yelled over the noise of the crowd.

The older boy turned and spotted them. He started toward them, the twins following along. "Hey you two, what are you up to?"

"Just finishing up some shopping. Got Christmas taken care of and Harry has dress robes for the party. What are you doing?"

"The same. I really didn't get much shopping done on the last Hogsmeade weekend." Cedric turned to the twins, "Do you have dress robes?"

"We can see if Bill or Charlie left any old pairs at the house."

"If not, we can come back tomorrow and see what we can get second hand."

"I think Bill's old set will fit for sure."

"If Charlie left a pair they might need to be adjusted slightly, he had broader shoulders."

"Oh, Harry, we've got something for you."

"We contacted someone about something and they just so happen to know you."

"They asked if we would deliver a letter to you because every other one, they have sent has come back unopened."

"We asked Hedwig if she could take it to you but she seemed to think she wouldn't be able to take that letter to you."

"It made her really angry."

"She really doesn't like not being able to do what she wants to do."

Harry had wide eyes. Someone wanted to get ahold of him but their letters weren't getting through? "Who is it?"

"You know," Fred said scratching his head, "We don't really know."

"We know him as Mister Moony."

"We found something that belonged to him and wrote to him about it."

"He somehow figured out who you were."

"We may have mentioned our honorary brother Harry."

"We didn't think we were giving up too much, Harry isn't a rare name."

"But he asked Hedwig if you were Harry Potter."

"And she told him you were."

"That makes us think he is a good guy."

"She is super protective of you."

"So, we decided to deliver the letter to you."

George handed him the letter. "If you want to keep writing him, we would be happy to be the go between so that his letters actually reach you."

"Thanks guys." He wasn't sure what to say. Looking down at his watch he started at the time. "Oh, I really have to go. My Uncle will be waiting outside the Leaky Cauldron in about fifteen minutes."

"You're welcome."

"See you later Harry."

Harry rushed toward the entrance, normally he would be sad to be leaving, he had enjoyed his time with Neville and he would have liked to spend more time with the others. The letter clutched in his hand, however, made him anxious to get home. For some reason the name Mister Moony sounded comforting to him.

**Privet Drive**

_Harry,_

_I don't know what to say except that I miss you. You probably don't remember me as I haven't seen you in a decade but I hope you give me a chance to get to know you again. I was a friend of your parents. In all honesty, we were closer than normal friends. You and your parents were my family. When you were a baby I was like your uncle, your dad insisted. I was your Unca Mooey. Your dad called me your Uncle Moony so I think you did okay._

_Allow me to explain myself. When your parents died, I was devastated. I was also out of the country doing something for an old teacher of mine so I wasn't on hand to do anything. When I returned, I was just in time for their funeral but you weren't there. I found that odd as you were supposed to go with Alice and Frank but they didn't have you. Your parents wanted you to grow up with them so you would have a brother if they didn't make it. Alice Longbottom was your godmother and your mom thought it would be best for you to grow up with her family. She had a son a day older than you. I asked them where you were but was told you were placed with family._

_That concerned us because your only family was your mother's sister and she and your mum had had a falling out. I don't know what your home life has been like but at the time I was concerned they wouldn't treat you right because of their fear of magic. I sincerely hope that wasn't the case._

_I went to the man who placed you there, requesting the chance to see you. To check up on you. But he would not give me the location. I would have searched for you through the muggle world but he took my knowledge of your aunt from me too. He Obliviated her name from me. To this day, I can't remember her name, though I think it was a flower of some kind._

_Knowing I could not see you then, I waited and wrote to you. I started writing to you on your 4th birthday, hoping that your guardians would read the letter to you. Unfortunately, the letter returned to me unopened. I wrote to you once a month since. Each and every letter was returned unopened. I could only assume that someone had placed a mail redirect ward around you._

_When you started school, I hoped that the mail ward would have been dispelled. I was once again disappointed._

_I have been putting my affairs in order so I could return to Britain. It was looking like it might take me a while but if you will give me a chance, I will be there before the end of the school year. I have every letter I have ever written you stored in a box I carry with me always. I am saving them for you so when you are ready, they are yours._

_So, my name is Remus Lupin and I was a friend of your fathers. We met in our first year of Hogwarts and roomed together in Gryffindor with two others, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. The four of us were friends by the end of November and it would stay that way throughout school. Your father loved to play pranks and I was the one who helped get them out of trouble. Your mother and I were Prefects together. She was a brilliant student and one of the kindest people I have ever met. I will miss your parents every day for the rest of my life._

_I hope this letter finds you happy. I like your Terrible-Two. They seem like good kids who will not only be a source of fun but will protect you if they can. You should ask them about the Marauder's Map. When they show it to you, point your wand at it and say, I, the son of Prongs, solemnly swear I am up to no good. This will activate the map and something special too._

_I hope to get to know you. If you need anything, I will be there._

_All my love,_

_Remus Lupin_

_Uncle Moony_

Harry stared at the letter, soaking up every word. He had been cared for here at Privet Drive. Loved even, to a certain degree. This letter, however, made him feel the loss of his parents and the life he would have had with them.

Neville. He should have been Neville's brother. Who had taken him and placed him with his aunt when he was supposed to live with Neville?

Harry didn't know what to think. He loved his aunt and Dudley. But he missed the life he could have had too.

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked after walking into the kitchen.

She smiled, "What is it, Harry?"

"I got a letter from a friend of my parents. He has been blocked from contacting me. He told me some things that have confused me. Can you help me?"


	9. Yule Part 2

**Privet Drive**

Petunia Dursley was livid. She was livid but trying to hide it. Harry was and always had been a happy, intelligent kid. Now, he was confused and conflicted. He was battling his own emotions because someone meddled in things they shouldn't have.

When Harry had come down the stairs asking for help, she had immediately pulled him into her arms; what else could she do when he looked so lost? He had given her the letter from Mister Lupin, she wasn't sure if the name was familiar or not but he had known that she and Lily weren't talking and about her fear of magic. The emotion in the letter had made her heart clench. That man loved her boy with all his heart and that was obvious.

Harry didn't know what to feel. Reading the letter, and knowing that someone he didn't remember loved him, made his heart ache. He wanted to know the man. The fact that the man said he should have gone to live with Neville also saddened Harry; they could have been brothers. He wanted all the things Mister Lupin talked about. The only problem was, he loved his life as it was. Petunia knew Harry loved her and Dudley and he got on well with Vernon, which was about all any of them could ask for considering Vernon's uncontrolled fear of all things unexplained.

So, her boy was both happy with his life and wishing for what might have been.

Petunia pulled out the letter she had found with Harry that cold morning on her door step. A letter written by Albus Dumbledore.

_Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,_

_I regret to inform you that James and Lily Potter were murdered in their home on October 31st. They were targeted by an individual attempting to control the wizarding world because they refused to follow him. Luckily, their son, your nephew Harry, survived the attack. You are Mrs. Potter's only relative and in fact, the only relative of young Harry so I am placing him in your care. I feel the need to remind you he is your nephew so treat him as you would any child. Do not be afraid to punish his wrong doings just because he lost his parents at such a young age._

_The man who murdered them was a very dangerous man and his followers will be quite perturbed that their leader has fallen. Lord Voldemort has many followers and they could seek out your nephew to get retribution for their Master's downfall. Due to this I am placing wards around you home._

_Blood wards are powerful things. They will only work if Harry lives here, at Privet Drive. You must keep Harry with you to be safe from dark wizards that could attack you because he is related to you._

_I ask that you shield young Harry from the wizarding world. Because he survived the attack people may worship him. It would not be a bad idea to wait to inform him of magic until he needs to know. I'm sure you will know the right time, your sister did just fine growing up without knowledge of our world if I remember correctly._

_I promise to limit the amount of magic that affects your life. You will be left alone to live your lives._

_Remember, Harry Potter must be in you care for the protections to work._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts_

_Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot_

_Supreme Mugwump_

She had hated him upon reading the letter, now she hated him even more. Then, the letter had felt threatening. It angered her that he gave her permission to punish her nephew, a part of her thought he was suggesting she punish him more than would be considered normal. She had carried around a great deal of anger due to finding Harry on her door step on the second of November. Who left a child out in the cold all night?

Now, she knew he had no right to do as he did. She loved her nephew but she also knew that if the letter had been phrased differently, she might not have treated Harry as a second son. She might have treated him poorly just to do the opposite of what was asked. But the letter she received had inspired her to embrace the only thing left of her sister.

Petunia would do anything to help her nephew get through this. She was trying to get him to realize that there was nothing wrong with what he was feeling. It was fine that he missed what he didn't have, he had already gone through a phase where he spent a great deal of time dreaming about life with his parents. He had to get that out of his system, they did this by talking about his parents. They just needed to talk about what could have been again. She would have to talk to Neville's Grandmother, perhaps she would be willing to tell him about Neville's parents. The only other thing she could do was to remind him that he would always have a family in her and Dudley.

Well, there was one other thing she could do. Petunia was going to contact Mister Lupin herself and see what his intentions were. If she liked what he had to say, then she would see about bringing him into Harry's life.

She stood and put the letter in her pocket when she heard the front door open. Moments later she was assaulted by the sound of her boys and the dog laughing and barking.

"I can't believe you still beat me. I have been training so hard."

"You'll have to train harder, Dud. I run every morning even though it's cold. I run a hallway on the seventh floor before people get up to still get my run in without getting frost bite."

"Seriously? Every morning?"

"Yeah. Hermione, Dean and Neville join me at least a few times a week. Neville says he is going to join me every morning. Dean refuses to run on the weekend but does every day before classes."

"And your girlfriend?" Dudley teased his cousin.

Petunia saw her nephew roll his eyes and smile at his cousin as they walked into the kitchen. "Hermione runs every morning but doesn't do the same distance as I do. She spends more time stretching then I do."

"I guess I could run every day but I like my lazy Sunday's with dad."

"So, run before he gets up then have your lazy Sunday."

Petunia smiled hearing her son's sigh. To Dudley, doing anything more than opening the door to the back yard for Beans was a chore, particularly on Sunday. "How are my boys this morning?"

"We're good, Mum. Harry here can still go farther and is still faster than me so I have got to keep training." Dudley playfully pushed his cousin.

She turned her eyes to her nephew, "I'm good. Do you need any help with anything before I go get cleaned up?"

"No, I'm fine. You should both go get cleaned up. I would rather do all the work myself, you both smell like a locker room."

They both smiled sheepishly. "I call first shower!" Dudley shouted before running out of the room. His dog on his heels, barking his head off.

"Harry?"

"I'm okay. I know you love me and Dudley and I have always thought of ourselves as brothers, not cousins. I also know Uncle Vernon is uncomfortable around magic so he kind of ignores me. My life here has been great, well except when Marge is around but she isn't here that often. Knowing you are here for me, that Dudley is here for me, is all I could want," he shrugged. "My life could have been different, that is true. I could have grown up with Neville, but then I would have lost his parents too. I could have had Remus in my life but if I did would things have still turned out the way they did?" He went to the cupboard and took out a glass and filled it with water. "Reading Remus's letter really messed with my head. Most of the time I'm okay because it is just like those times, I would think about what my life would have been like without my parents. What is catching me up right now is that I can actually experience part of what things would have been like with Neville. I think we would have made great brothers, like Dudley and I are."

"I think the same. You and Neville get along so well. I am sorry you didn't get a chance to grow up with Neville. I am sorry Mister Lupin couldn't be in your life. I am not sorry that you were here with us; Dudley and I feel more than a little lost while you are away at school."

"I miss you when I'm there too. I find myself wishing you were both there at least a few times a day so I can talk to you."

She smiled. "I am here for you, Harry. All you need to do is talk, or write and I will do what I can for you."

"I know. I think I need to work some of this out in my head first though. Once I have myself straightened out, I will need you and Dudley."

"And we will be here." She heard the shower shut off, "Now, go take a shower. I'd hug you but you're sweaty and you smell." Hearing Harry's quiet chuckle as he left the room brought a smile to her face. She had great kids.

**Longbottom Manor**

Neville smiled as yet another couple stepped through the Floo. He had honestly lost track of who had arrived and who hadn't. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Neville knew his friends were there. The Diggory family were always among the first to arrive, with them was the twins. He would be interested to see what his grandmother made of them. The Greengrass family was always punctual, arriving precisely when expected, not the first but at the tail end of his gran's 'inner circle.' The Bones family were always late; Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE, almost always was late leaving work so the rest of the family was late. Blaise had popped in mere moments after Daphne making Neville wonder if they had discussed the arrival time.

Neville jumped slightly when a hand landed on his shoulder. "Almost everyone is here now, Neville. You go be with your friends. Uncle Algie and I will take care of the stragglers."

"Thank you, Gran." He smiled and headed for the side room off the main ballroom. They had set up this room with the younger guests in mind. If was done up less formally and there was more variety in terms of appetizers.

Stepping into the room he saw a diverse selection of kids. Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Slytherins and Hufflepuffs. There were students from all year groups at Hogwarts as well as a handful of kids who weren't yet old enough to attend. Neville thanked Harry for his new self-confidence. Last year he had stood at his grandmother's hip the entire night, too scared to join the other kids. This year he had already greeted all of them and he planned to get to know as many as possible during the course of the evening. First, he had to check in with his best friend.

"Harry," he said loudly as he approached his Ravenclaw friend. He stood off to the side, alone yet not. Hermione, Daphne and Blaise were talking an arm length from him but he remained separated from them. "How are you doing?"

Harry saw the concern in his eyes and Neville could see he was about to say he was fine, so he shook his head slightly. Sighing Harry shrugged. "I need to talk to you about something. I think you'll understand it best. I'm okay but do you remember that letter the twins had? Well, it was from a friend of my parents. He claimed that he had been trying to get in contact with me for years and there was some stuff in the letter that claimed I wasn't supposed to be placed with my aunt and uncle."

"What? He said the Will wasn't followed?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, he said I was supposed to live with my godmother and her husband and there were explicit instructions to not place me at Privet Drive with my aunt."

"Is it true?"

"I don't know. I don't know what to do with all of this. I have never seen a Will and don't even know if they had one. I have never met the man so I have no idea if he was actually their friend or if he is lying. I just don't know."

"Who did he say your godmother was?"

Harry bit his lip, his eyes darting left and right. "He said I was supposed to live with Alice Longbottom and her husband Frank."

Neville gasped. His mother had been Harry's godmother? Why hadn't Harry come to live with them? Harry lost his parents before the attack that caused his parents to lose their sanity so that couldn't be the reason. "What?"

"I know."

"I wonder if my gran knew."

"I don't know."

"I'm going to ask her."

"Don't do it now. Wait until after the party."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll do it in a few days. No need to bring up this stuff on Christmas. If she confirms it, then we should go to Gringotts and see if they have a copy of the Will on file." He saw conflict in Harry's eyes, "Seeing the Will won't change anything now; you're happy with your aunt and she takes great care of you. Seeing the Will would at least tell you if the guy who wrote you was honest or not."

Neville saw relief flood into Harry's eyes. "You're right. It would be nice to know if he was telling the truth and finding a Will would be a good way to verify it."

"I'll talk to gran and if she says my mum was your godmother, we will go to Gringotts." Neville shrugged, "Even if she doesn't know we should still go to Gringotts and check for a Will."

"Thank you."

"No problem, Harry. Now, where are the twins? I really don't want them to destroy the house."

Harry pointed to the opposite side of the room, "I made them promise that they wouldn't cause any damage. The agreed to a prank free night because this gets them out of spending the holiday with Percy and Ron."

"You're the best."

"Daphne and I are still keeping an eye on them. I'm not sure they can hold out against temptation and Daphne doesn't want them around her sister. She's afraid her sister will fall in love with them because she likes funny people."

"Hey, Harry." Neville and Harry turned to Blaise. "Not sure if you are aware or not but Chang is here and she is approaching fast."

Harry grimaced. "Well, that is my cue to go talk to Cedric, Roger and the twins. Later."

Neville chuckled as Harry crouched and maneuvered around the room.

"Hi, Neville."

He attempted not to laugh at the sweet voice coupled with her batting her eyelashes. "Hi, Chang."

"Please, Neville. My name is Cho."

"Alright. How are you this evening, Cho?"

"Splendid. Neville, have you seen Harry? I could have sworn I saw him over here but now I can't seem to find him."

"You know; I think he said he was going to talk to the Head Boy. The last I saw Brinkley he was in the main Ballroom."

"Oh, thank you. I will try to see if I can find him there." Without another word she dashed out of the room, headed towards the ballroom.

"You know," Hermione said, "If I didn't find her so annoying, I would probably tell you that was awfully rude."

"I find it highly amusing, Miss Granger," Blaise said with a snooty air in his voice. "That you managed to call the poor girl annoying and call our host rude all in the same sentence."

"What do you expect, Mister Zabini," Daphne said in the same tone, "Miss Granger is far more talented than you could ever hope to be. I assume she mastered word play at a very young age, you have yet to master it yourself."

"You wound me, Miss Greengrass. Zabini's are known for their ability to play the game."

"And yet, you get beaten by muggle raised students on a regular basis. I believe you need practice."

"Why I never." He humorously placed a hand on his heart, "I am going to speak to Miss Aldridge; hopefully I will get some respect from one of the most influential Slytherins."

He flounced away while Daphne rolled her eyes. "He has been trying to come up with an excuse to go talk to her since he saw her. Imogen Aldridge fascinates him. She is gorgeous and despite being a fifth year, she holds a lot of power."

"Your family has always had good ties to her family, right?"

"Yes, the Aldridge family is neutral just like my family is. Our fathers are rather close considering they are both extremely closed off from others. Imogen warned me about making the right impression quickly. In Slytherin you are judged from the moment the sorting hat yells Slytherin. You have to show you are Slytherin while subtly indicating whether you follow your family's leanings or not. If you follow the pure-blood path, you need to sneer at all the right people. If you follow the gray path, you have to remain consummately neutral."

"What did you show your house?"

"I have actually managed to confuse most of my house. I appear to be neutral but sometimes I appear to lean light or dark depending on my mood. I am not dark and will never follow that path but I have managed to placate the individuals who lean that way by following the most archaic traditions."

"So, the whole 'you are a shadow' thing was a play?"

"I meant every word but I did it in that fashion to show I honor tradition. I spent a great deal of time developing my strategy before I got on the train."

"You scare me sometimes."

"Sorry."

"It's all right. I will be fine as long as I know I've got you on my side if things ever come to a head."

She looked him straight in the eye, "I will always be on the side of Potter and Longbottom."

Neville was shocked by her statement. He hadn't expected her to declare anything other than neutrality but she had just declared herself as one for the light.

\---

Harry Potter was enjoying himself. His talk with Neville had relaxed him and now he was enjoying experiencing as much of wizarding culture as possible. The wizarding world was very different. Everything seemed very formal so he was eternally grateful for his books on wizarding customs.

Dress robes confused him. He liked the ones he and Neville bought at Twill Fit but some of the other dress robes looked awful. Why would a man want to wear what amounted to a dress? Most of the older men wore robes that were closed from throat to floor, like Dumbledore wore, and he suspected a good percentage of them didn't wear pants underneath. His were open, with a suit under them. He would never be comfortable wearing the other sort.

"Hello, Mister Potter."

Harry turned to see the Head Boy, Sebastian Brinkley. He was a Slytherin, but from what he had heard from older students, he was one of the good ones. Brinkley had a reputation for being ambitious and fair; he didn't want to win unless he did so on his own merit.

"Hello, Brinkley."

"Seb, please. Everyone calls me that."

"Alright, Seb. It is nice to officially meet you."

"Nice to officially meet you, Mister Potter."

"Harry."

"Right. I would like to say that I am proud of you and your study group, Harry. The school is far too concerned with house rivalries. I believe house rivalries should start and stop on the pitch. You are the first group of students I have seen get along outside their own house. The older years do tend to intermingle more due to the fact that class sizes change after OWLs but they are never truly friends with people outside their house."

"I don't see the point in limiting myself based on the color of my tie. If I could choose any color tie I wanted, no house affiliation, then mine would be green. Green is my favorite color. I don't mind blue, it's my second favorite, but like I said, I love the color green."

"My favorite color is blue, that's why I steal my girlfriend's tie all the time." Seb smiled, "I am going to ask you something that I have no right to ask you, Harry, but I have to ask."

"Alright."

"Please help next year's first years. I want you and your friends to encourage them to look beyond house boundaries to form friendships throughout their year group. Something needs to be done about the division in the school. The Headmaster isn't doing anything so the students need to step up. Gryffindors and Slytherins shouldn't be at each other's throats all the time. I don't care what happened between the founders; they have been dead for hundreds of years. Their arguments should not be affecting the way we live our lives."

"I can't argue with any of that."

"So, will you help those who come after you?"

"I can do that. I know Hermione and Neville will help me."

"I suspect Miss Greengrass will be right there with you too."

Harry and Seb looked toward where Daphne was standing talking to her sister and some of the other kids that weren't old enough to attend Hogwarts. "Yeah, I think she will too."

"One other thing, Harry. Don't bow to pressure. People will expect things from you because of who your parents were and the fact that you survived. Do not do anything that you do not believe in."

"Why would I do anything I didn't believe in?"

"I'm not saying you would, I am just warning you and begging you to remember who you are. There are many who will try to steer you toward their path. I see great things in your future, but you will only achieve those great things if you follow your heart."

Harry blinked and watched the older boy walk away. He suspected that Seb was right. There were probably hundreds of people who had ideas about who and what Harry Potter should be. Like Cho. Like Ron.

Looking around the room he spotted his friends. They were spread thought out the room, talking to a variety of people. He smiled, if he had their friendship, he was sure he could do anything and be anyone.

**Privet Drive**

The house was woken by loud barking and gleeful laughter. Dudley Dursley was running up and down the hall, his dog at his heels, cheering because it was Christmas morning.

Harry lifted his head to look at his clock. 5:30 AM. He groaned and shoved his face back into his pillow. Christmas Day was the one day of the year that Dudley didn't sleep for as long as possible. Dudley loved his sleep. He often tried to sleep longer on school days and only got up at the last possible second. Not on Christmas Day. On Christmas Day, Dudley Dursley set his alarm for 5:30 and demanded that everyone else get up then too. He was far too excited about the gifts under the tree.

His door burst open and Dudley and Beans came barreling in, "Come on, Harry. It's Christmas and there are presents under the tree calling your name."

"Can I have one more hour? I didn't get back until almost midnight last night."

"No, Harry, you can't have another hour. We get up at 5:30 every year and start opening presents at 6."

"But you love sleeping in."

"Not today I don't."

Harry groaned again and pushed himself into a sitting position. "Fine. Get out of here so I can change and then I need to brush my teeth. I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes."

Dudley grinned and bounded out of the room again, Beans happily running at his side.

He looked up at a quiet knock to see his aunt standing in the doorway. She had apparently gotten up without argument. She had already changed and fixed her make-up. "I'm going to put on some tea and hot chocolate. Which would you prefer?"

Harry scratched his head. Tea helped him wake up but they only got hot chocolate this early in the day on Christmas. "I'll take the chocolate. I can take a nap later if I need to."

She smiled and walked down the hall, Vernon right behind her. Harry knew he too would be having hot chocolate instead of tea.

Harry quickly dressed and prepared for the early morning insanity that was Dudley's Christmas morning. His family was already seated in the family room, the tree positioned in front of the window, the fire roaring.

"Good morning," he said with a yawn.

"Morning. Now can we start already?"

Vernon, Petunia and Harry laughed at Dudley's enthusiasm. Harry was excited too, he just wished he had had some more sleep. He was sure he would be excited when he actually woke up.

"Go ahead and start, son."

At Vernon's invitation, Dudley dove at the tree and the paper started to fly.

Harry did, in fact, get more excited as he woke up. By the fourth gift he was tearing in just as enthusiastically as Dudley. Both boys got clothes and sports gear from Vernon and Petunia. Dudley had gotten computer games from Marge while Harry had not received a gift from her. As always, Vernon got Dudley a special gift, just from him, this year it was some boxing gloves. Boxing had been Vernon's sport while at school. Harry did not receive a special gift from Vernon and he was okay with that.

He got some candy and wizarding games from his friends. Hermione gave him a book on the history of wizarding families. Neville a plant he could grow at home that was magical but would appear normal. Daphne and Blaise also gave him books. Daphne's was on potions. Blaise's on Defense.

Harry had decided to give his aunt a few small things. He got her some self-stirring spoons for cooking, a spot remover that claimed to be 100% effective and a magical repellent that should save her flowers from all pests, including dogs that liked to dig up roses.

For Dudley, he found some quidditch training weights that he thought would be helpful for when he ran. The weights were designed to be worn while you practiced and they would increase in weight as your strength grew.

For Vernon he got a book. Vernon loved history, particularly historical books on wars and conflicts. Harry got him a book that told the history of the Goblin rebellions in Great Britain. Binns may have droned on and on about them but they were actually interesting if you read up on them.

To Harry's great surprise, Fred and George had handed him a package when he was leaving the party the night before. He opened it that morning to find a gift from Remus. It was a photo album. Each page had a picture of his parents with a description of who was in the picture, what they were doing and that sort of thing. Some pages had short paragraphs; others had stories attached to the pictures. Harry found tears forming when he looked at the album. It was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. His aunt had gotten down on the floor with him when she had noticed him staring at the album in shock. She too had tears in her eyes when she realized what was held within the bindings.

The last gift he unwrapped was quite odd. The did not say who it was from. Inside the brown paper was a cloak. When Harry swung the large cloak over his shoulders his family gasped. He had become invisible.

Petunia picked up the note that came with the cloak that turned someone invisible when they put it on and scowled. She would recognize that handwriting anywhere.

What was Albus Dumbledore doing with a cloak that belonged to Harry's father?

**Letters**

_Harry,_

_Happy Christmas. I know you haven't had a chance to write yet but I needed to send this to you. I have been working on this for you for a number of years and I find myself incredibly lucky that I have found you so close to a holiday. I hope you enjoy the album. I could have just put pictures together but I thought you would be more interested in what was happening in the picture so I did my best to describe everything I remembered about the day and the reason for the picture. I apologize that I don't really have many pictures of your mother before our final years. She wasn't close to your father or I in that time. I have been unable to find many people who still have pictures of her from that time. I have one person I want to talk to but I have been waiting to do that in person. If and when I have more, I will share them with you._

_I hope you have a wonderful day, Harry. Know that I am thinking of you and that I am making my way to Britain so if you wish, I will be there for you._

_I will leave this letter short as I don't know what you asked in your letter to me, that is if you have written. I hope to hear from you soon._

_Love Always,_

_Uncle Remus_

_\---_

_Mister Lupin,_

_My name is Petunia Dursley and I am Lily's sister. I don't think we ever met but I hope you are sincere in your hope to meet Harry and get to know him._

_I will admit to being horrible to my sister when we were children. I have no defense for my actions, as I don't think jealously is a viable excuse for the cruel things I said to my little sister. I have since learned from my mistakes. I have lost my sister for good. I will have no opportunity to apologize or make up with her so my only hope of having any piece of her is by loving her son. I have raised him to be my son. He and my son Dudley have grown up as brothers. They are treated the same by me, just as Lily would have wanted._

_Are you, Mister Lupin, prepared to prove to me that you want to contact him because of who he was before he survived? In the short time we have spent in the wizarding world, many have approached him claiming to want to know him just because he survived all those years ago. Harry is an eleven-year-old boy, he doesn't want to be famous for living, he wants friends and family around him. He wants to learn about magic and play quidditch. He is a fairly simple boy who just wants to live his life freely._

_I did not know Harry's father so I cannot share stories of him like I do of my sister. If you could help with this that would be amazing._

_Please write back, Mister Lupin. Your first letter left Harry confused. He was not confused about you, no he really wants to get to know you, he is confused about his dreams of 'what if.' I have found that 'what if' is the most damaging phrase in the English language. For those who have lost someone they love the dream of what it would be like if that person were still around. Harry battles the 'what if' because he is happy. He doesn't want to disrespect what he has by dreaming of his dream family. We don't mind, because we understand it, but he still fights it._

_Sincerely,_

_Petunia Dursley_

_\---_

_Uncle Remus,_

_Thank you, thank you, thank you. You can't possibly know how much your Christmas gift means to me. I am sort of embarrassed to say it made me cry. My aunt has shared all she could about my parents but she admitted to me that she and my mum had a falling out so she wasn't all that familiar with her life and didn't know my father at all, beyond the fact that my mom found him annoying early on._

_I want to let you know that my life with my aunt is good. She treats me exactly the same as my cousin Dudley. Vernon, her husband, is rather uncomfortable around magic so he and I don't have a close relationship but he does try and he is proud of my grades. My aunt said she came to a realization when she saw me there. Knowing she could never make up with my mother drove her to make it up to her by treating me as a second son._

_My first term was great. I was sorted into Ravenclaw, surprise, and I am second in my year overall so far; one of my best friends, Hermione, is number one. She is also a Ravenclaw. My best friend is Neville Longbottom. I guess he is also my god-brother. He and I met at Diagon Alley when we were shopping for school supplies. We bonded over our birthdays. Neville was sorted into Gryffindor._

_I have friends in all houses. Neville, Dean, and Fred and George (the twins) are Gryffindors. Cedric Diggory is a third year and Susan Bones and Justin Finch-Fletchley are first years and the three of them are Hufflepuffs. I am close to Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini in Slytherin. I have another Slytherin first year in my study group by the name of Draco Malfoy; we aren't friends yet but we are getting to know each other. As for the Ravenclaws, I am closest to Hermione but I also like the quidditch team, I'm closest with third year Roger, and the fifth year Prefect Penny. My dorm mates are Terry and Anthony._

_My favorite class is Defense Against the Dark Arts. I didn't like it at first because the teacher was hard to understand, he stuttered, and the class gave me a headache – not kidding I got a headache in every class. There was this thing where that professor was possessed and he tried to kill me so he is no longer teaching. The other teachers took over the class, each teacher taking a year group, and the first years got Professor Flitwick. Since he started teaching, the class has been amazing. My second favorite is either Potions or Charms. I don't know for sure. I just really love learning about magic._

_I hope you don't mind, but I am very serious about my studies. My aunt said my mum was a great student so I always try to do my best._

_I would really like to meet you. I don't think my aunt will allow that until she is comfortable with you though. She plans to write to you herself to learn more about you._

_Neville and I plan to go to Gringotts to see if they have a copy of my parent's Will. We both want to know what happened. We know nothing will change now, we're both happy now, but we still want to know._

_I haven't talked to the twins about the Marauder's Map yet, we have been out of school for break, but I plan to do that when we get back to school. I'm kind of excited to see what it does._

_Why is your nickname Moony? That seems like an odd nickname._

_I really want to get to know someone who was close to my parents. I hope to meet you soon._

_Harry_

_P.S. I just realized I didn't say I was on the quidditch team. Ravenclaw has a reserve team just in case and I am the reserve seeker. I love flying!_


	10. School

**Hogwarts – Empty Classroom**

"Okay, Harry. Here it is, the Marauder's Map."

Harry took the aged piece of parchment from George reverently.

"We only ask that you are careful with it and allow us to use it on occasion."

"It has saved us from a number of detentions."

"We only wish that it tracked Mrs. Norris."

"Blasted cat."

"She gets us in trouble."

"Her and the Ghosts."

"Right, the Ghosts don't show up either."

"And the portraits."

"Yeah, some of the portraits don't have senses of humor."

"So, it's a map?" Harry asked, cutting off their back and forth.

"Yes."

"You should just do what Mister Mooney told you to do."

Harry nodded and pointed his wand at the parchment. "I, the son of Prongs, solemnly swear I am up to no good." Ink started to swirl all over the formerly plank parchment.

**Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs**

**Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers**

**are proud to present**

**THE MARAUDER'S MAP**

**Mister Prongs is elated that his son is the first to use the Marauders Map.**

**Mister Padfoot would like to make sure he is the godfather to the Prongslet, as Mister Prongs promised some time ago.**

**Mister Mooney welcomes the son of Prongs.**

**Mister Wormtail would like to know if he is married to Margery Rostand.**

**Mister Prongs would like to tell Mister Wormtail to stop dreaming.**

**Mister Padfoot thinks Margery Rostand will probably end up with her Hufflepuff boyfriend Steven.**

**Mister Mooney wonders why the conversations always get so far off topic. He would again like to welcome the SON OF PRONGS!**

Harry and the twins were laughing. Those four were hilarious.

"Thank you, Mister Moony."

**Mister Padfoot is hurt. The Prongslet thanked Mister Mooney before his dear godfather Mister Padfoot.**

**WAIT. I HAVE A SON!**

**Mister Wormtail needs to remind Mister Prongs that there is a format required in responses.**

**Mister Mooney is surprised he didn’t react that way the first time he responded. He would also like to know what house you are in.**

**The Prongslet is obviously a Gryffindor. Prongslet. Who is your mother? Please tell me it is my Lily Flower. If it isn’t Lily Flower, lie to me. I don’t want to know if she ends up with Snivellus.**

**Mister Wormtail would again like to…**

**Do not speak of such horrifying things Prongsy. Lily Flower would never end up with Snivellus.**

**Thanks, Pads. But seriously, no, not you, Padfoot, is your mum Lily Flower?**

Harry looked at the twins, silently asking if he should answer truthfully. They nodded. Snarky it is. " Sorry to disappoint, but I am actually a Ravenclaw. I don't know about a Miss Flower but my mother's name is Lily. I don't know who this Lily Flower is."

**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I didn't marry Lily Flower.**

**Mister Padfoot begs Mister Prongs to calm down.**

**Mister Wormtail is so sorry Mister Prongs didn't get his dream witch.**

**Mister Mooney thinks that the son of Prongs is messing with his father. What is your mother's maiden names?**

"Evans."

**I MARRIED LILY FLOWER. I MARRIED MY LILY!**

**Mister Padfoot congratulates Mister Prongs on finally winning the Lily Flower.**

**Mister Wormtail is astounded that she agreed to date him in the first place.**

**Mister Mooney congratulates the cub for successfully pranking his father.**

**Mister Padfoot concurs. Well done, Pup.**

**I MARRIED MY LILLY FLOWER!**

**Mister Mooney would like to enact code 2.**

**Mister Wormtail seconds the enactment.**

**Mister Padfoot will keep Mister Prongs busy. Mister Wormtail, would you aid me?**

**Mister Wormtail will aid Mister Padfoot because he is not good at explaining things and Mister Prongs is irritating him.**

**I MARRIED LILY FLOWER!!!!!!**

The entire parchment went blank for a moment only for new ink to spread across it seconds later.

**Mister Mooney would like to Present the Marauder's Map. This is a map of the entire castle. At least we think it is a map of the entire castle, we may have missed something.**

**Being the son of a Marauder allows you to add rooms if you find them. If you do find a new room, tap the map and say 'I, the son of Prongs, have found a new area of Hogwarts and I solemnly swear I am up to no good.' You will be presented with instructions on how to add this new room/area.**

**There are a few features you could not access without a Marauder informing you of them. The Map can and will tell you the passwords to each common room. Please be aware that the password for the Ravenclaw common room changes with every entrance as the password is the answer to whichever riddle the statue asks. The map will actually give you every password save those to the private quarters of the professors and the headmaster's office. That being said, do not try to prank a professor's office. Even with the password you will be caught.**

"Mister Mooney. Why are you the one telling me all of this? I don't mean to be rude or seem ungrateful, but my dad is Prongs. Shouldn't he be the one sharing your legacy with me?"

**I am not offended. It was voted upon and we were going to do just as you suggested. That is until Prongs came to me and said both Wormtail and Padfoot would not do the job. Padfoot would regale his child with stories of his conquests or give advice on pranks. Wormtail would try to figure out how he ever got his girl to look at him; Wormy isn't very confident. Prongs asked that I tell their children while he distracted them. Shortly after, Padfoot came to me with the same concerns about Prongs. He thought, rightly, that Prongs would spend too much time talking about his Lily Flower and you, thus forgetting all the important details.**

"I guess I understand that. Did they make a deal about you and your kid too?"

**Doubtful. They say I like to lecture. I am the responsible one, if you can call someone who lets his friends prank the school responsible that is. If they did make an agreement to keep me busy then they kept it secret from me.**

"Will I get to talk to them later?"

**Any time you would like to. The map contains a piece of us. That piece is essentially us from the day we cast the spell. We grow with the knowledge we learn while the map is used. We will all remember this and will be able to pick up where we left off with you when you choose to seek us out again.**

"Can they hear us now?"

**Hmm. Yes, and no. They would hear if they were paying attention. I can 'hear' them; they are loud so I doubt they are paying attention. Your dad is really quite ridiculous. I can't wait for him to get over the fact that he won Lily's heart. Why do you ask?**

"Curious."

**Why do you ask?**

"I think I need to talk to the older you before I say why I ask."

**So, something has happened that would be hard for one or all of us to hear. Yes, please talk to me about whatever it is you wish to talk about with us. He will, or I suppose, I will help you in any way I can. You are the first child of a Marauder to hold the map. I would do anything for you, Cub. I suppose I shouldn't call you Cub; you are the son of Prongs; cub just doesn't work with what he is.**

"That's okay. I like cub. What does Prongs stand for anyway?"

**Can you keep a secret?**

"Of course."

**Your father is a stag Animagus. Padfoot is a dog. Wormtail is a rat.**

"Wow, that is wicked. I want to become an Animagus. Is it hard? Of course, it's hard. It will take a lot of study and I should be much more advanced in Transfiguration before I even attempt it. It would probably be smart to talk to Professor McGonagall before I even try the actual transfiguring part in case I mess something up. I will have to do some serious research. Does that make you a wolf?"

**I definitely see the Ravenclaw in you. Yes, I am a wolf of sorts.**

"Cool. Mooney, I've got to go. My friend Hermione is having a panic attack. She is really stressed about her end of year exams. She keeps saying she is going to fail all of her classes even though she is either the top student or within the top three in every class. It's crazy."

**I hope to talk to you soon cub. I will inform the crazy ones you have to go. Don't forget, Mischief Managed.**

**Letters**

_Aunt Petunia,_

_School is going great. I really like our Defense Professor. Professor Hank Winters is a champion duelist. He came in to teach as a favor to Professor Flitwick. Apparently, Professor Flitwick is his hero/mentor so he owed him one. Hank, we have been asked to call him Hank – not Professor Winters, is now a judge and trainer but is currently between contracts so he said he would teach defense for the remainder of the school year. Defense is my official favorite class, but Professor Flitwick is still my favorite teacher._

_Hermione has started us on revision. I don't really mind; I would have started soon anyway but I am going to have to find a way to calm her down. Most people don't start revising for finals in February. Our study group gets revising that early for problem subjects, potions being the most common problem subject, but they don't get studying for all of them that early. Neville is fine with it; he likes being a model student and really wants to impress his gran. Daphne is doing it because she wants the top spot and would have done it anyway. Blaise, Susan, Draco and the others who stop by from time to time think we're nuts._

_You will never believe the news I just got. The first-string team had a meeting, they didn't invite the reserve team, and took a vote. They unanimously decided that I should play out the rest of the season as the starter! It is really unheard of for a first year to play the starting position. Heck, it's basically unheard of for a first year to make the reserve team. No first year has made the reserve team as a seeker in over a century and now I am the first eleven-year-old seeker to start at Hogwarts in over a century. I love quidditch!_

_Dean is depressed. The cold weather means we can't put together a pickup game of football. I told him that the first dry day we would head out but he is having football withdrawals. I miss it too but it isn't as bad because I can still play quidditch. I'm tempted to tell him to talk to Wood, the Gryffindor quidditch captain, and ask him to allow Dean to come to practices. It would allow him to work on his goal keeping just in the air. It wouldn't help with his feet but it should help his reaction times and reach._

_I think I am going to stay here for Easter Holiday. A week just doesn't seem like enough time to be away. It is also right in the middle of study time and I don't think I can take time away to get home. You know Dudley would insist on doing all sorts of things that didn't involve studying. My grades are too important. I hope you don't mind._

_I've got to go. I can hear Hermione having a panic attack in the common room. Someone touched one of her piles. Note to all, don't touch Hermione's study piles._

_Love,_

_Harry_

_===_

_Harry,_

_I am glad you like your temporary professor. Keep up with the studying. I am so proud of you. I hope you aren't letting other subjects slide because you are focusing on your favorites though._

_Telling Hermione to calm down isn't going to help, you know that, but I don't have any ideas that might get her to tone it down. I was never a determined student. I did what I could to pass slightly above average. I did rather well in history but other than that I was just that, slightly above average._

_Wow. Harry, what an honor. You must be extremely talented if your starting team wants to promote you. You said the decision was unanimous so that means the starting seeker wanted you to play in his position. So, so proud of you. I wish I could see you play._

_We will miss you but understand if you need to stay at school for Easter Break. I suspected you would choose to do that for the very reasons you listed._

_Dudley has found his calling, or at least he says he has. He loves boxing. Vernon is ecstatic. My little Dudley has joined the boxing team and from what I can tell that means he does a lot of running and weight lifting. I had a talk to his coach, I am not too fond of violence, and he assured me that most don't turn into physical brutes. Those who resort to punching would have probably done it anyway. The coach tells me that he teaches boxing as a way to relieve stress in a safe, nonviolent way. If the kids on the team start fighting outside of the ring, they get kicked off the team. That made me feel better. The pads they have to wear around their faces and hands also made me feel better._

_I ask again, why did I agree to let him have a dog? I didn't think I hated dogs. I don't like bull dogs because of the way Marge trains hers but I am finding that I both love and hate Beans. He's cute on occasion but a lot of the time he just drives me crazy._

_Have you heard from Mister Lupin?_

_I love you sweet heart,_

_Aunt Petunia_

_===_

_Harry,_

_You are very welcome. I started that book in the hope of giving it to you one day so you could see your parents through my eyes. At some point it became a way for me to remember as well. It has been hard not having them in my life; a sentiment I am sure you agree with. I will do my best to find more pictures and stories for you._

_Wow, for some reason I always pictured you as a Gryffindor. I'm not sure why looking back, but it was always Gryffindor red and gold in my imagination. Saying that, there is nothing wrong with Ravenclaw, your mom admitted that she could have gone there herself but the hat chose Gryffindor. I could have seen myself there too but ultimately, I was a lion as well. Your mom and dad would be so proud of you. Your dad might have teased you about being brainy for a while but then he would have made some crack about you being a pranking master mind because you ended up in the 'Smart' house._

_I was the studious one in the group so the fact that you take your education seriously is just fine with me. Your mother was the same way so she would be very pleased. Of course, no parent would ever be disappointed if their child was one of the top students, your dad would have just encouraged you to take time out to have fun, meaning prank someone._

_Your favorite class is Defense? That was my favorite too. I ended up getting my Mastery in Defense so I completely understand loving the class. Your dad's favorite was Transfiguration. Your mom's was Charms; Potions was a close second. Your dad hated History because Binns was boring. Your mom hated Astronomy because she hated the time it was held at. I wasn't a fan of Potions, mostly because I have an overly sensitive nose so I often got a headache in that class. Your parents weren't bad in any class really, they just had their favorites like everyone else._

_I am so glad that your home life is good. I heard from your aunt and I understand not wanting to allow some stranger to be around her nephew when she doesn't know them. I will do everything I can to prove that I am here because I want to be here for you, not because of what you did as a defenseless baby._

_You have chosen to go through school the way everyone should chose to. Keep your friends, Harry. Never allow house prejudice to limit yourself. I am so proud of you for looking beyond the colors on your classmate's ties._

_I love that you are friends with Neville. You used to take naps with him when you were a baby. Your mums were close so they would meet up and of course you would be put together. I remember coming to your parent's house when Alice and Frank were over, you and Neville were in your play pen. You were floating your lion back and forth, giggling every time the fuzzy lion flew into your hands._

_Have you gone to Gringotts yet? If you haven't and plan to do so over the summer would you mind if I went with? I would really like to know what was written in it._

_We all had odd nicknames. I would rather not tell you what they mean in a letter. That is something I will save for when we finally meet again. Yes, my name was Mooney. Your father was named Prongs. Peter was called Wormtail and Sirius was named Padfoot. There are explanations for the names, fairly immature ones, but I will save those for later as I said above._

_Of course, you are good at quidditch. You were gifted a toy broom for your first birthday; your dad said it was a brilliant idea while your mum chased Sirius around with a broom, the non-flying kind, threatening to hex him into oblivion. Your dad was a great chaser and loved to fly. When they stuck you on that toy broom, you zoomed around with such natural talent that your mum forgot her worries about safety and just laughed as your dad chased you around the house. The only one who hated it was the cat. You loved pulling the cat's tail but mostly she could get away, that is until you had the broom._

_Ask me anything you like and I will tell you all about it, or tell you I would like to tell you in person._

_Always,_

_Uncle Remus_

_===_

_Uncle Remus,_

_YOU GUYS WERE SO COOL! You were also kind of crazy. I LOVE the map. How did you manage that? Who came up with the conversation thing? How long did it take you to make it? Can you show me how you did it? Could you help me make one of my own? Did you guys have anything else like that? Did you do any other super cool things? My dad was totally wicked._

_Okay, enough of that. But seriously, I want to know EVERYTHING._

_Super exciting news. I am now officially the starting seeker for the Ravenclaw quidditch team! The original starter, Liam, a seventh year, gave up his spot because the team says I am better than he is and he wants to focus on his exams. I am both excited and nervous. I really can't wait._

_We haven't gone to the Ministry yet. Neville's gran decided we should wait until summer. She was devastated by the news that things were kept from her son. Augusta is kind of scary when crossed; I'm just glad she wasn't mad at me. If you want to come, I don't see why we can't invite you along._

_You have a Mastery in Defense? That is cool. What does a Master in Defense allow you to do? What sort of jobs does that open for you? What do you do? What was/is your dream job? Do you have a specialty in the discipline of Defense?_

_I've got to go. We are in the middle of revising for exams. I know, I know, it isn't even March yet, but Hermione is a crazy person when it comes to studying and I'm really not much better. (I would have waited until March to start revision)_

_Harry_

_P.S. What should I do about the map? I don't know if I should play along and claim to know you all and just say I want to get the younger you or if I should share that I don't know any of you. I don't even know what happened to most of you. I think map you suspects something but the others were occupied with my dad's crazy Lily Flower joy. What do I do?_

**Headmaster's Office**

Albus Dumbledore scowled into his whiskey laced tea. He was not a happy man. At his age, he thought, everything should be going his way. He was, well he had actually quite forgotten his exact age, but he knew he was somewhere around one hundred and twenty. In that time, he had seen and done many amazing things. He was a powerful wizard, so powerful he had defeated the great Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald. Poor, poor Gellert. The better wizard won in the end, he thought while running his hand over his wand.

Why weren't things going his way? He was the Supreme Mugwump. He was the Chief Warlock. He was Headmaster of Hogwarts. With all that placed upon him, it should be ridiculously obvious that he had the right of it. But no. No one was listening to him.

It all started with that ridiculous hat. Why on earth had it sorted Potter in Ravenclaw? He couldn't ask again, of course, the castle might get mad at him. That was much worse of course. His plans could have been adapted but then the castle had to stick its nose in his business. Stupid ghosts. Stupid castle. The castle was so out of touch. How could the castle possibly know what was right for the students when it was stuck here?

His most irritating problem was the teachers. What on earth had possessed them? Severus not listening to him was to be expected; the boy really wasn't to be trusted. He should have done something about his obsession with that Evans girl. Filius was mostly acting like himself, he was very involved with his Claws. It was the women that were driving him mad. Septima Vector and Bathsheda Babbling, two teachers that really had nothing to do with the students beyond Runes and Arithmancy, were now suddenly involved. It was quite irksome. Minerva was the instigator though. She was openly defying him. That woman had no right to come into his office making demands. She was his underling; she was supposed to follow his lead. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it.

He looked down at the progress reports for DADA. Blasted half breed. Why did he have to find someone competent to teach that class? He didn't want Potter on top of his game. Sacrificial Lambs were not supposed to have teeth. Oh well, Hank wouldn't be teaching next year.

Albus reached over to the pile of applications for the Defense post. There were a good number, he just hoped there was someone mediocre enough to suit his needs but that could also excite the parents. Flipping through he started to feel disheartened. Ex Auror, too much experience fighting. Former Defense teacher in Italy, too good a teacher. Duelist, too much creativity. Researcher, too smart. Was there no one who looked good on paper but was actually terrible?

He was about to throw the bundle across the room when he spied a somewhat familiar picture. Golden blond hair that was overly styled. Blue eyes that appeared to be spelled to sparkle. Smashing robes, if he didn't say so himself. Yes, perhaps young Gilderoy was just what he was looking for.

Gilderoy Lockhart hadn't been a terrible student. If he remembered correctly, his spell work was hit and miss but he was good with the theory, like all Ravenclaws. He had always been good for an entertaining, if unlikely, tale. He was a celebrated author, though Albus doubted he had done any of the things he claimed to have done. Witches the country over worshiped the ground he walked on. Wizards hated him only because he was so popular with the ladies. Yes, Albus smiled to himself, Gilderoy Lockhart would be a perfect teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

**Somewhere Dark**

**I find you extremely irritating.** The voice said in her head.

She really wished it would shut up. All she wanted to do was sleep until she was needed. His incessant jabber was not only irritating; it was keeping her from her sleep. _Oh, do shut up. You and I both know this is where I am meant to be. I will be here until I am called._

**Well, I am calling you. I am the heir. I demand you take me from this place.**

_You are not the heir._

**You listened to me before. I am his heir by blood. Why do you deny me now when you did not so many years ago?**

_If you were the one, I followed some time ago, then you are not him now. Your magic is similar but not the same as the one who was heir. Had I a choice, I would not have listened to you then either. You do not follow his path. You taint his name with your vendetta. You taint my purpose with what you demand. You are not deserving of the gift of the true language._

**I will destroy you when I am free of the hell that is your head.**

_I am very hard to kill._

**I am the most powerful wizard alive.**

_Have I missed something? You are not truly alive. You have no body and that means you have been defeated. I saw into your memory. You claim to be the most powerful and yet you were defeated by the combined magic of a mother and her infant child. That is not a sign of power, that is a sign of desperation._

**That child is not more powerful than I.**

_I beg to differ. That child has the bearing of a true heir. Not an heir by blood but one by magic. I do so hope he speaks the true language. If he finds this place, I dare say he will be much better conversation. All you talk about is your goals of genocide. I find your plans disturbing and entirely unoriginal._

**You will regret the way you speak to me. I was already planning to punish you for hiding the fact that you chose not to kill those students when I ordered you to. You should not have petrified them when I ordered you to kill. Now I must destroy you for siding with my mortal enemy.**

_I did only what my master instructed. I regret the one death you laid upon my soul. Had you not angered me and she not surprised me, there would have been no deaths. You would have asked me to stop eventually; poor Tom had nowhere else to go._

**I will kill you painfully.**

_So, you have said, time and again._

**It will happen.**

_I will do all I can to take you with me then._

**Dream on my servant. You are a snake. You will listen to me when I have my body back.**

_I am no ordinary snake. I will only follow one who is worthy. You once had the potential to be worthy, now you are simply what you are. A shade of a man. One destined for eternal damnation._

**Hogwarts**

"I am going to fail. There is no stopping it. I failed. I know I didn't get that last question right on the potions essay section and the color of my potion was off. I failed."

"Hermione, would you stop. I wish you were a Gryffindor so I could call you a cowardly lion."

"Well, ha, ha. You should really get a heart. Can I start calling you Tin Man? I am freaking out and you are making jokes."

"Huh. I was going to call Blaise the Tin Man."

"Oh, did you want to be the Scare Crow? I didn't think a Ravenclaw would ever sing, 'if only I had a brain.'"

"No, Neville can be the Scare Crow, or maybe Draco."

"So that makes you Dorothy?"

"Nope. Daphne is Dorothy."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Boys. "So, who are you? If I am the Cowardly Lion, Blaise is the Tin Man, Draco is the Scare Crow, Neville is Toto and Daphne is Dorothy; what does that leave you?" She squinted at him. "I've got it. You're the Wicked Witch!"

"Nope. That is obviously Pansy. Crab and Goyle can be her flying monkeys."

Hermione couldn't help the laugh that bubbled forward. Okay, that one she could see. She really wished pouring water all over Pansy would make her melt.

"It's funny right. Picturing her face green and warty while she whines, 'I'm melting.'"

Hermione snorted. "Stop it, Harry." She giggled, trying to get ahold of herself. "I was actually stuck on Crab and Goyle wearing those jackets and hats." Shaking her head, she focused in on him. "Seriously, who does that make you?"

Harry stood and puffed up his chest. "You're off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz. I am, I am, I am the wonderful Wizard of OZ."

Hermione tried to keep a straight face. "That was absolutely horrible." Her voice shook with ill contained mirth.

"Yeah, it kind of was. I really need to go find the twins." Harry stood and grabbed hold of his things. "I just had a great idea for a prank."

"What prank?"

"I want them to try to turn the entire school into characters from the Wizard of Oz."

"How will you pick?"

"Gryffs get to be the Cowardly Lion. Snakes get to be the Tin Man. Puffs are the Scare Crow and Claws can be Dorothy."

"Maybe Claws should be the Tin Man and the Snakes can be the Wicked Witch."

"The Slytherin quidditch team and Crab and Goyle can be Flying Monkeys."

"Do you think they can do it?"

"Don't know, but I am going to find out."

It turned out the twins could do it. They even managed to make every one break into song. The entire student body stood just as they started dessert and skipped from the great hall, arm in arm.

"We're off to see the Wizard…." What Wizard that was, no one was sure. It wasn't the Great Albus Dumbledore, who sat frozen on his golden throne watching the children sing about a great Wizard named Oz. Oz was going to have to die…


	11. Summer Part 1

**Three Broom Sticks – Meeting Room**

Severus and Filius were waiting. They had called an unofficial staff meeting for those they trusted absolutely. Well, that wasn’t quite true; they trusted some of the professors they hadn’t invited but didn’t think they could handle disobeying Albus.

Bathsheda, Septima and Poppy would be there shortly. Minerva would be showing two hours after the meeting started. They wanted time to discuss certain things before talking to her.

“Sorry we’re late.” Bathsheda stepped through the door, Septima at her heels. “I got caught up doing research and lost track of time.”

“So did I.” Septima had dark circles under her eyes, suggesting she had gotten little sleep. They wondered if it was due to this extra research.

“Did you see Poppy?”

“No, but she wasn’t at the castle so she could be here at any moment.”

“Are you alright, dear? You seem tired.”

Septima smiled, “I will be fine, Filius. I have just been doing a lot of research. The answers I am looking for are exceptionally hard to find seeing as I have yet to find a trace of them and I have been looking since the Quirrell incident.”

“Septima, I thought we agreed that we would wait until all had arrived.” 

“Of course, Bathsheda. She has been helping me with research. We are both baffled.”

The door opened just as she finished speaking.

“Sorry I’m late, my dears. Albus Flooed me as I was leaving asking some ridiculous questions about the possibility that there were students from abused homes at the school.”

“I thought you screened all students?” Filius tilted his head in thought. “I know you check all student’s physical health at the beginning of the year and the Heads of House take time to observe the students and report any concerns to you.”

“I do. All students found to be from abusive homes have been removed. I am very good at spotting them, even the ones who want to hide it. If I do miss something, Severus finds it. We don’t let abuse continue.”

“Who was he suggesting was abused?”

She looked to Severus. “He didn’t give a specific name but I think he was suggesting Mister Potter. He seemed most concerned with the Ravenclaws, particularly those who just finished their first year. I honestly doubt he knows the name of any of them outside Mister Potter.”

Filius frowned. Albus rarely took any interest in his students. The former Gryffindor favored his house. The only other house he spent any energy on was the Slytherins and that was mostly to denounce them as dark. “What is his fascination with Mister Potter? He rarely takes interest in the first years and never in my ravens.”

“He does seem to be disturbingly focused on the boy.”

Severus surveyed his colleagues; it was an odd mix. He had always felt very separated from his fellow staff members because of his dark past. Now, they seemed to be working together to fix what had been. He found it odd that there wasn’t one Gryffindor at the table. Those fighting this fight were snakes and ravens. “Septima, Bathsheda, what did you find?”

“I’ll go first,” Septima pulled out several sheets of parchment. “As you know, I have been researching the energy centered in Mister Potter’s scar. I don’t like the readings I got.” She riffled through the parchment looking for the right page. “the readings are extremely dark. I don’t even know what I’m looking at.” 

She waved her wand and made several copies of the sheet she wanted. “This is a copy of the reading I did the day of the Quirrell incident. I have never seen anything that dark in my life.”

Severus scanned the page. How was the Potter boy so happy? “How is it that Mister Potter is the way he is? I would think that that concentration of dark magic would affect his mental and emotional health.”

“I don’t know.” Septima ran a hand through her hair. “He is such a happy kid and so open. With that concentration of darkness and negativity I would think he would be depressed and reclusive but he isn’t. I just can’t explain anything about this.”

“Do you have any idea how long it has been there?” Poppy had a sinking suspicion she knew.

“I’m not sure. All I do know is that it has been there a while. Years at least. It is very rooted.”

“Could it have attached itself when he was attacked as a baby?” Severus inquired.

“It’s the best explanation I could come up with considering he grew up in a muggle neighborhood and would have had little to no contact with magic, especially malicious magic, after that night.” She shook her head. “I don’t have much. I spent a great deal of time in the restricted section and the teacher’s section of the library searching for something that was even similar to the Arithmatic scans I came up with. I can’t find anything. I have some contacts outside of Britain with extensive libraries that I am going to seek out in the near future.”

“Bathsheda?” Poppy nodded to the other woman.

“I don’t have much more. Without knowing what exactly it is I can’t really plan a way to get it out of him. I have been looking though research on dark possession, seeing if there was something that looked like it would be magically powerful enough for what Septima’s scans had indicated we were dealing with. I have possibilities that I might be able to modify but I can’t commit myself to a plan without knowing how this thing will fight.”

“Understood. Do you have anything else?”

“I may have an idea as to how he has remained so contented with life. The scar is a rune. Sowilo or the sun. Sowilo is a positive rune often depicting success, honor, hope and faith. If there is any rune, I would use to battle such darkness, this would be it. Perhaps more happened that night then we realize.”

“Lily would have known the meaning of the rune.” Severus added quietly. “She studied runes. She also would have done anything to protect her son. Perhaps Harry’s happy personality is a direct result of something she did to protect him.”

“That was my thought.”

Severus nodded and surveyed the group. They hadn’t brought any truly new information to the table. He had suspected Lily may had done something to protect her son; he was even more sure now. “Filius, you have been quiet. Is there something wrong?”

“I am not sure.” The little man mumbled. “I would like to take all you have with me. I may have some contacts who could shed some light on this enigma.”

“What are you thinking, Filius?”

He looked at the healer. “Long ago, I made a choice. I could be either Wizard or Goblin. I chose Wizard. My grandfather didn’t think it necessary for me to choose and taught me the Goblin ways of magic in secret. That was how I expelled the darkness from Quirrell. I have friends in Gringotts who may be able to identify this darkness.”

“Do you have any ideas?”

“I have a suspicion. I do not want to commit to any theory at this point. The possibilities I see are too terrifying to name. What I will say, is that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has committed worse crimes than we thought.”

\---

Minerva was confused. 

Things had not been going well the last year; if she was honest with herself, they hadn’t been going well for the last several years. She wondered why it took her this long to realize Albus was not acting like himself.

She had known the man for many years. He had been her Transfiguration Professor when she attended Hogwarts all those years ago. Then he was her boss. He had been her boss for over thirty years. In the beginning he was most concerned about the educational standards for the school; Hogwarts had to be the best. Then he was concerned for their safety; He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was a threat to their way of life. Then he seemed to return to the headmaster she was most familiar with; the educator. 

When had he become so controlling? When had he become so paranoid? When had he forgotten what it meant to be an educator?

Why had it taken the combined horrors of Halloween night, the stone and complaining students to knock some sense into her? It really should have happened before the year even started when Albus first insisted on keeping the stone in the school.

She was ashamed of herself and proud of some of her colleagues. Severus and Filius had the right idea; at least that is what she thought. She saw them talking throughout the year. She saw their reservations. She even noticed them blatantly ignoring Albus’s commands. Yes, the male Heads of House were acting as the rest of them should.

She knocked on the door and pushed it open when a deep male voice indicated it was open. Severus, Filius and Poppy sat at a table in a private room of the Three Broomsticks. 

“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long.”

“No, Minerva, we actually finished our earlier meeting ahead of schedule. In fact, you are a bit early.” Filius almost smiled. “Please have a seat. I don’t want to keep you too long; it is after all summer vacation.”

Minerva sat. “I assume you wish to discuss the school and Albus in particular.”

Filius nodded. Yes, she had been right. They were just as concerned as she was, perhaps more concerned.

“I will say they I have approached Albus about his actions of late and informed him that his secrecy and dangerous planning must stop. He cannot involve the children in his machinations.”

“Then it appears we are on the same page there.” Filius nodded. “We had hoped you had noticed that things were not right.”

“I noticed. I am actually quite embarrassed that it took so long for me to notice. I should have said something earlier. The last straw should have been the stone. If not that, the troll. Instead it was seventh year students complaining about their Defense classes. I know it was the troll that pushed you to act.”

“It was the troll.” Severus confirmed. “Of course, I was also approached by one of my snakes concerning their unease around Quirrell. She indicated that Quirrell seemed to be two different people; the stuttering coward and the individual who glared at Harry Potter.”

“Quirrell glared at Mister Potter?”

“Yes. He did so on Halloween night. Miss Greengrass saw him glaring and it unnerved her.”

“I see. Well, what do you plan to do? What did you wish to approach me about?”

“We will not be following Albus blindly.” Poppy spoke for the first time. “We want, no we need your support. You are the Deputy Headmistress. You are the one who goes between the Headmaster and the Professors. Our greatest concern is the students and their safety. If we feel Albus is hindering their education or endangering them, we will do something about it.”

“You have my support. You also have the Castle’s support.”

“The Castle?”

Minerva nodded. “Hogwarts, it seems, is somewhat sentient. I approached Albus the morning Quirrell went crazy. I demanded he remove the stone and said I would be monitoring his actions. The House Ghosts appeared and threatened his job. They said he was on probation; any other instances that endangered the students based on his actions would result in the Castle expelling him.”

“Why is he still there? Mister Higgs died that very day. Why did the Castle allow the Shade of You-Know-Who to possess the boy at all?”

“I asked Sir Nicholas that myself. The Castle is not all-powerful. She requires a conduit to perform any actions. In order to expel Albus she would need to use one of us. She would add her power to ours and, I believe, take control for a short time to remove the threat. It does require permission and some time for her to gain control. She could not act in such a short amount of time. There was nothing anyone could have done once the Shade left the pitch. The students around you were protected but no one at the castle was aware of what had transpired. It actually takes time and power for her to interfere and she had wasted a great deal of her stored power channeling the ghosts to warn Albus of his probation.”

“It seems things aren’t as dire as we assumed.” Filius mused. “With the Castle monitoring him we may have some breathing room.”

“I doubt it.” Severus scowled. “Albus is vastly intelligent and I assure you, he can and will continue with whatever he is planning, he will just be more secretive about it. He may even resort to planning off of school grounds and acting like the perfect Headmaster while within the castle.”

“I have to agree with Severus. He Flooed me earlier from somewhere I have never seen.”

“Why did he Floo you, Poppy?”

“I believe he was trying to convince me Mister Potter is abused and should therefore be removed from his family.”

“That is absurd. I met with his family. They may be a bit warry of magic but they love each other.”

Poppy nodded. “I informed him that all children with signs of abuse have been spoken to and if there was abuse, they were removed from their homes. I left no air for misunderstanding.”

“So, what do we do?”

“We work together.” Filius took the lead. “We monitor the situation and preform our duty as teachers to the letter. If we see something that we think could harm our students, then we step in no matter what Albus says. You, Minerva, may have to distract him on occasion.”

“I can agree to all of that.”

“We need to keep him away from Mister Potter.” They turned to Severus. “Albus is far too focused on the boy. No eleven-year-old should be the entire focus of the school’s Headmaster.” 

**Letters**

_Fred and George,_

_How is it going? I know I already said this a few times, but you guys did an awesome job with the end of year prank. I think I may have some ideas for next year. We should talk. I have a feeling I am going to be bringing some Muggle classics with me next year. I can just see the Slytherins looking like the Queen of Heart’s card army. Or the entire hall ending up at the Mad Hatter’s tea party. Maybe something from Grimm’s Fairy Tales._

_I have a letter for Remus. Would you mind sending it for me? Thanks guys._

_Harry_

_===_

_Remus,_

_How are you? What are you up to? What do you do for a living? What did my parents do for a living? Did I have a favorite toy as a baby? Did my parents have any pets?_

_I was talking to my aunt and she wanted to invite you to dinner if you were in the area. She says she vaguely remembers my mom talking about you and says that mom liked you. This was a long time ago, before my parents were married so she only has a few talks to go off of and your letters. I really hope you are around some time soon. I want to meet you. I want to talk in person._

_As for me, school was great. I ended second in my year. I got top spot in Charms and Defense though. Hermione still beat me overall. Ravenclaw also got the Quidditch cup this year. Slytherin still got the house cup though. Oh, well there is always next year._

_You know what the worst part of summer vacation is? I can’t go flying!_

_Harry_

_===_

_Hermione,_

_I know you are leaving for vacation with your parents. Just wanted to say have fun and I will talk to you when you get back. I have started my homework, so don’t worry about me. I know you are probably done so great job. We can compare essays later._

_Have fun,_

_Harry_

_===_

_Harry,_

_I hope your summer is going well. I would ask if you had started your homework, my gran has been nagging me about it so I am halfway done, but I know you have finished it already. Because I know you have finished it, I was wondering if you could look over my potions essay at some point. I think I was thorough enough but would love a second opinion and advice._

_Gran would like to wait until after our birthdays to go to Gringotts. She tends to have a lot of plans with her group. Gran is really active in the political scene. The Wizengamot, for some reason, is really active the first half of the year and then everyone gets rather lazy. She says the best month to go is August but we have to go the first week. If we wait for the second week, we hit the school supply rush. I have been informed that I have to mention this – NEVER go to Diagon Alley the last week of August._

_I was wondering if you wanted to come over. I would love to show you my green house, Gran gave me my own two years ago. If Remus is to be believe then you would have grown up here with me. I think it is high time my Godbrother was shown his home away from home._

_Neville_

_===_

_Blaise,_

_I talked to my aunt and she said it was okay if I went to some games with you. Let me know when they are. I really want to see a couple of games. I want to see the British league teams for myself so I can pick a favorite team based on my experience watching them play rather than their statistics._

_I feel the need to say do your homework. I know I sound like Hermione, but I get the feeling you are a procrastinator and you won’t do your homework if someone doesn’t remind you. I can help you with your Potions essay if you want._

_Let me know about the games._

_Harry_

_===_

_Harry,_

_I hope you are enjoying you time away from school. I expect that you have at the very least started your summer homework, though, knowing you, it is probably finished. We should get the study group together at some point and compare essays. I would love a second opinion on the Defense essay and I have a reference book I think you would be most interested in reading in regards to the potions essay._

_My father wanted me to invite you and your family to dinner some night at Diagon Alley. I’m not exactly sure why. He isn’t anti muggle or anything but he is pro tradition so being seen with a muggle family isn’t something he would normally suggest; at least not in public. I do know he was rather impressed with your showing at school. For some, the hype of the Boy-Who-Lived was just that, hype. He didn’t expect you to be anything more than that. The fact that you managed to get second in our year, and topped two courses, showed him that you don’t plan to ride the wave of your fame. He values those who continually work to be better._

_Congratulations on taking the top spot from Hermione in Charms._

_I think we should all get together a few times this summer. I really don’t want to spend all of my ‘friend’ time with Pansy and Millicent. Unfortunately, I will be forced to spend some time with them and those like them due to my father’s position in our society but I refuse for those students to be the only ones I converse with._

_I had more to say but I am going to have to stop here. My little sister is driving me crazy. She starts Hogwarts next year. Apparently, she needs to know everything now despite the fact that she has one more year at home._

_Your friend,_

_Daphne_

_===_

_Neville,_

_I hope you are enjoying your summer so far. I really missed my family. It’s strange, I appear to spend all of my time away from one group of people missing them. While at school, I have a great time with friends, but miss my family. Now, I am home with my family, but miss my friends. I have never experienced this before. Odd._

_Have you spoken to your Gran about going to Gringotts? Remember to ask her if Remus can come along. I think he deserves to know what was in his friend’s Will, don’t you?_

_Do you have any interesting projects going in your greenhouses? How are those roses coming? I would really love to see your favorites. The way you describe them, they sound amazing._

_I know you haven’t spent any time in the Muggle world but I was wondering if you wanted to come spend the night at my place? I would love to show you around._

_Is there a better way to communicate in the wizarding world? Letters take time. We have telephones in the muggle world which is instant. You can hear each other talk from miles away._

_Hope to see you soon,_

_Harry_

_===_

_Harry,_

_Hi. We received a letter for you from Remus._

_Do you have any other good ideas about pranks? That one you suggested at the end of the year was great. The headmaster looked like his head was going to explode._

_Muggle stuff is great. We looked up the Wizard of Oz. Should we try other muggle literature as pranking material? Any suggestions?_

_Got to go. Mum wants us to de-gnome the garden. If we disappear fast enough, she will make Ronnie-kins do it by himself._

_Fred and George_

_===_

_Harry,_

_How did the end of the year turn out? How did exams go? I remember your mother being really nervous before the exams up until she received her results. Everyone who knew her knew she didn’t have to worry but she did anyway. Your father on the other hand wasn’t worried at all. He was a little disappointed in his History grade, he didn’t answer one question because he got bored and started throwing spare parchment at Binns during the exam; it was hilarious but caused his exam grade to be lower than expected._

_I don’t want to pressure you or your aunt, but I am moving back to Britain. There was never a question about that, I just never new when. Now that I have connected with you and we are getting to know each other, I feel the time is right for me to return to my home country. I get the feeling that your parents would be disappointed in me for not being there for you before now, I hope I am making up for it._

_I should be back before your birthday. If it isn’t too soon, perhaps I can take you out for a birthday dinner or something. Anything you want to do; we can do it. Again, no pressure and if you and your aunt feel it is too soon then perhaps, we can just get an ice cream at Fortescue’s._

_Oh, before I forget, I heard Ravenclaw took the quidditch cup this year. Congratulations! Rumor is that had a lot to do with you and the fact that Slytherin lost their seeker (also the fact that Gryffindor’s seeker was terrible). Hopefully I can get to a game this year so I can watch you play. I have a feeling that you are a better flier than your father was, and he was one of the best in the school._

_If you ever need anything don’t hesitate to contact me Harry._

_Always,_

_Uncle Remus_

_===_

_Harry,_

_I haven’t heard from you yet and thought that was odd. I hope everything is alright._

_I was hoping you could come spend a few days with me while my gran is busy with her Wizengamot stuff. I am rather bored. Owl me. Gran said she would come with me to pick you up with the Knight Bus. Once she knows where you live, she could Apparate to get you and take you home._

_Gran gave me an early birthday present. It’s a rare plant. You have to start growing it at a certain time so she gave it to me early. I am really excited about it and want to show you. I think you will appreciate it almost as much as I do._

_Owl me._

_Neville_

_===_

_Harry,_

_There is a quidditch game in three weeks. Bally Castle Bats verse the Appleby Arrows. We have to go. There is also a Chuddley Cannons verses Wimbourne Wasps next week. Both teams suck but that means the game should be close. Now I don’t normally go to them but in two weeks the Harpies are playing the Tornados and that is going to be a great game. I can get tickets to any of them so let me know soon._

_Blaise_

_===_

_Harry,_

_We missed the Cannons/Wasps game. Not a big deal as they are both terrible._

_Do you want to go to the Harpies/Tornados game? I will admit the Harpies are a good team and are worth seeing. The Tornados are also a solid team. You need to see a pro game Harry._

_Let me know._

_Blaise_

_===_

_Harry,_

_Why hadn’t you written back? We understand if you don’t have anything to say to us. We didn’t have much to say ourselves, but we expected you to have sent a letter to Remus by now. He sent us a letter asking if we sent his letter to you. He’s worried. Write him. Write us so we know you’re okay._

_Fred and George_

**4 Privet Drive**

Harry Potter lazily towel dried his head as he walked into the kitchen. Vernon was at work. Dudley was in the shower. Beans was snoozing under a tree in the back yard. Petunia was reading a gossip magazine while drinking tea.

The cousins had gone on a run that morning with the dog. It had been decided that they would race the last few blocks. Dudley had been quite confident that he would win so had bet the first shot at the shower. Whomever won got to shower first; the loser had to take care of Beans. Incidentally, despite his confidence, Dudley had lost. Harry smiled to himself; he had Dudley in a competition of speed, had they gone for distance he thought his cousin would have won. Harry was a sprinter. Dudley was built for endurance.

He took a drink of his glass of water and frowned. His summer had been great. He and Dudley had reconnected as brothers as though they had spent no time apart. Both had done well in school, Harry better than Dudley but Dudley had actually shown great improvement. 

The only problem was; Harry had had no contact with most of his friends. He had talked to Dean; they had met up to do some football drills and Dean didn’t understand the appeal of owls so they had phoned. Hermione was on vacation with her parents so Harry hadn’t expected to hear from her until later that day. It was the others he was worried about. 

Daphne had asked him if he would mind showing her around muggle London before leaving with her parents at the train station. Blaise thought they should see a professional quidditch game together and said he would write. Neville was his best friend. He didn’t have a phone so they were going to owl. They had plans but Neville had yet to reply to any of Harry’s letters. Harry hadn’t even heard form Fred and George and they had always been able to reach him. He wasn’t sure what was going on. 

He was pulled from his thoughts when the phone rang. 

“Hello, Dursley residence.”

“Hello, is Harry available?” Harry smiled upon hearing a familiar voice.

“It’s me, Hermione.”

“Hello, Harry. How has your summer been? Have you started your homework? What did you think of the Potions essay? I thought it was quite challenging. Have you done anything interesting? What did you think of Daphne’s idea about doing our shopping together? Has your letter come yet? What are you doing for your birthday? What do you want for your birthday? What should I get Neville for his birthday?”

Harry chuckled. That was Hermione alright. A million questions at the ready for any situation. “Hi, Hermione. Things are good. I finished my homework, and yes, the potions essay was the most challenging but I also thought the topic was the most interesting. Let’s see what was next? Um, I haven’t received any letters, which was actually something I was going to talk to you about.”

“You haven’t received any letters? None?”

“No. I haven’t gotten a letter from anyone all summer. Not getting one from Blaise wasn’t odd until about a week ago, he seemed most interested in seeing Bally Castle and that game is scheduled for next week. Not hearing from Daphne, Neville or the twins and Remus is kind of freaking me out.”

“How strange. I will write to them now and ask them what is going on. If they don’t know perhaps, we can have them send their letters to me and I can send them the muggle way and see if that works.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me.”

“Well, of course it is, I came up with it.”

“You’re starting to sound like me.”

“That was the point, Harry. I’m going to go write the others now so we can get some answers.”

“Do you want me to send Hedwig?”

“That would be great. She is the smartest, and most reliable owl.”

“I’ll tell her you said that. You will become her second favorite person.”

Hermione laughed. “I’ll call you when I hear something.”

“Thank you, Hermione.”

Harry hung up the phone and frowned again. Why had Hermione heard from their friends and he hadn’t? What was going on?

“Is everything alright, Harry?”

He turned to find his aunt standing in the doorway leading to the kitchen. “I don’t know. I haven’t gotten any letters from my wizarding raised friends but Hermione has.”

“Odd. Remus said something about a mail redirect ward, didn’t he? Could it be that?”

“I don’t think so. I have received letters from the twins and Neville before. The only person I know who I can’t get mail from is Remus. Now I’m not getting any wizarding mail.”

“Do you have any idea what could be happening? Do you know of anyone who would want to intercept your mail?”

“No. Well the headmaster apparently doesn’t want Remus contacting me but I don’t see why he would all of the sudden stop my friends’ mail from getting to me.”

Petunia bit her lip. Was she becoming paranoid? “I don’t know if this is just me not trusting him based of past activities but he could want to drive a wedge between you and your friends. If you don’t reply to any letters your friends send you, they could think you are ignoring them. If they think you are ignoring them, it could lead them to stop trusting you.” She shook her head, “I’m not saying your friends would actually do that but if he is responsible, he probably would think that. I don’t see him having any faith in people.”

Harry frowned. He wished it didn’t, but for some reason that made sense. The Headmaster gave him a bad feeling; he just didn’t trust the man. “That makes a strange amount of sense. I just don’t know if it is him. It seems rather short sighted that he would completely discount the muggle alternative to communication.”

“Harry, from what I know, most wizards discount the muggle way.”

He nodded. “That is very true.”

“Did you and Hermione come up with a plan?”

“She is going to send letters to all our friends and tell them what is going on and ask if they have any ideas.”

“Why don’t you have her send a letter to you as well. If you don’t hear back by letter within a day or so you will know that it is everyone and that whomever is doing it isn’t monitoring you so they don’t know that you have copped to the fact that someone is intercepting your mail.”

“I’ll do that. I was going to send Hedwig to her anyway so she could send all of those letters and KNOW the owl would deliver them no matter what.”

“Don’t have her reply with Hedwig. You’re right about your owl. She would do anything to get you your mail. All of your wizarding friends have access to owls so have been sending with their own. When one of them reply to Hermione have her send a letter with their owl and call you when she does it. We live close enough that you should have it within a day.”

Harry walked to his aunt and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you, Aunt Petunia.”

She squeezed him tightly. “You’re welcome.”

**A Few Days Later…**

“Hey, Harry. Have you gotten my owl yet? I ask because I just got a reply from Neville and I sent him a letter the same day I sent one to you and you live closer so you should have received it by now.”

He sighed. “No. I still haven’t received any letters. I would send Hedwig and tell her to wait for a reply but I get the feeling that whatever is causing my mail to disappear could hurt her and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to her.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll owl the others and tell them to send their letters here and I will post them to you the regular way. It shouldn’t add much time all in all.”

“That would be great, Hermione.”

“Oh, before I forget. Blaise has informed me that you will be attending the Bally Castle game with him. Do you want to meet him at Diagon Alley or should he and his escort pick you up with the Knight Bus?”

“His escort?”

“Those were his words. He didn’t explain but I have to assume that means his mother won’t be the one taking you.”

“I don’t want to ask someone to Drive me out there. Ask him to come get me with the Knight Bus. Once I figure you how that works, I can call it to meet people.”

“Alright, I will let him know. Neville said he was going to talk to his gran about your mail issues. He will write me if they have any ideas.”

“Thanks. You want to go to the movies? The new Batman movie is out.”

“That’s rated for individuals 15 and over, Harry. We can’t see that.”

“But it’s Batman.”

“It’s rated 15.”

“Yes, but again, it is Batman.”

“Harry.”

“You are almost 13. I am almost 12. My aunt would probably let me see it.”

“My mother wouldn’t. I am not allowed to see a 15 until I’m 15.”

“Well, what else is there?”

“We could see A League of their Own. It’s a baseball movie.”

“Girls playing baseball.”

“Do you have a problem with that?”

“No, I guess not. I just really want to see the Batman movie.”

“So, go see it with Dudley. If you want to go to a movie with me, then we will see a League of Their Own. If you just want to do something and you really don’t want to see that movie, then we could go to a pool or something.”

“Dudley went to Batman with his school buddies.”

“So, ask Dean. I am sure he would love to see Batman with you.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because you’re a boy and boys don’t think about options.”

“I will have you know, Miss Granger that I am second in my year group.”

“Yes, you are. Second to me.”

Harry rolled his eyes, despite the fact that Hermione couldn’t see the action over the phone. “Do you want to go to a pool or water park with me this week?”

“My mum and dad have to work Monday through Thursday. Dad doesn’t work Fridays. He could take us Friday or they could both take us on Saturday.”

“Aunt Petunia doesn’t have a car so that would be best. Uncle Vernon works week days but he doesn’t do pools or water parks.”

“I’ll talk to mum and dad and see if dad can take us Friday. It shouldn’t be as busy on Friday.”

“Alright, let me know.”

“I will. I have to go, Harry. My aunt is here visiting and unfortunately that means my cousin Patricia is here too. I will be so glad when they leave tomorrow.”

“I’ll talk to you later, Hermione.”

**Later that Summer**

Harry laughed with Blaise as they walked up the drive of his home, 4 Privet Drive.

They had just attended Blaise’s all-important Balley Castle/Arrows game. It was amazing. Unfortunately, the Arrows crushed so Blaise wasn’t happy. Harry didn’t really care. He absolutely loved quidditch. 

Harry would be the first to admit he preferred playing but watching the pros fly was incredible. He had seen the other houses games at school, and of course his house in the games he didn’t play in; the professionals made it look like an entirely different game. 

“I still can’t believe they lost. Bally Castle is a great team this year and the Arrows aren’t supposed to be a match for them.”

“Blaise, the keeper was off his game today. Tuttle seemed distracted and more than a little slow. I think Wood would have done better than him in that game.”

Blaise sighed, “You’re probably right. Wood is a freak of nature. Your house only won because of you and the fact that the Gryffindor seeker was so terrible.” He shook his head. “Not the point though. The Bats should have won.”

“The Arrows were the better team. I am not saying they are always going to be the better team but it is impossible for the team to win if one of their members, the keeper in particular, is distracted.”

“Well, they aren’t out of the running. Their record so far is great so they could still take the league title.”

Harry smiled. He hoped his friend got his wish. Harry was fairly certain that Puddlemere was going to take the title, they had the best all-around line up that year. “Well, despite the fact that we lost, it was great seeing a pro game. I think we should do this as often as we can.”

“Now that I can promise.”

Harry opened the door and turned to Blaise and his escort. “Thank you, Hector, for taking us.” The tall, muscled man nodded ever so slightly. Blaise’s mother didn’t do quidditch so she arranged for one of her father’s ‘men’ to take he and Blaise to the game. Harry really didn’t want to know what Hector or Blaise’s family did. He had a feeling it wasn’t entirely legal.

“See you Friday, Harry.”

“Bye, Blaise.” Harry walked down the hall toward the living room. “I’m home, aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon.” He smiled at their guests. “Sorry I couldn’t join you this evening, Mr. and Mrs. Mason. My friend invited me out a few weeks ago and it wasn’t something we could reschedule.”

“Quite alright.” Mr. Mason smiled. The Dursleys had already explained and apologized for the boy. He still appreciated the boy apologizing himself; kids these days didn’t normally do anything for themselves. 

“Are you going to join us for dessert? We would love to talk with you too. Your cousin has been talking about his boxing. We would love to hear about you as well.”

Harry smiled at Mrs. Mason. “I would love to. I don’t want to detract from business though so please continue with what you were discussing before I arrived.”

“Nonsense. We have everything hammered out by now and are just getting to know each other.”

Harry smiled. It sounded like the business dinner had gone well. “Well, I go to a small private school in Scotland. It is the same school my parents attended.”

“Do you play any sports?” Mr. Mason wanted to know.

“I play football. We actually have a few teams at the school, one for each dorm. I made the team my first year, which is rare. It was an honor to make the reserve squad. I even got to play fist string toward the end of the year. My team actually managed to get first place in the school tournament.”

“Well done.”

“Please tell me you also focused on your studies. I would hate to hear you were wasting all that time at a privet institution and didn’t focus on the important part. Learning will get you farther in life.”

Harry smiled at Mrs. Mason. “Not to worry. I know my mother was a dedicated student so I have always tried to do her proud. I actually managed to get second in my year. I was beaten by one of my best friends for the top spot, but I did manage to take top spot in a few subjects.” 

“What are your favorite subjects?”

“I prefer math and science.” This was true. He did continue to study muggle courses and those were his favorites. It wasn’t like he could tell them he liked Defense and Charms.

Conversation drifted from there. They talked about favorite restaurants and vacation destinations. When the Masons left, Vernon was smiling brightly. He had made the deal and Mr. Mason was planning on talking to others in the business about Vernon and Grunnings.

Harry said his good nights and headed for his room. 

He opened his door and was surprised to see his room was not empty. Blinking he stepped into the room and put his shoes by the door. 

“Hey, Corny.” Neville’s House Elf did not respond. Harry had met the Elf briefly during the Longbottom party over the Yule Holiday break. “What is going on?”

“Corny has found the bad Elf who takes Mister Potter’s mail.”

“That Elf was taking my mail?”

“Yes. Corny caught bad Elf Dobby in the act.”

Harry blinked, trying to unravel Corny’s sentence. From the way he worded it, Dobby must be the Elf’s name. “Why were you taking my mail Dobby?” Harry wasn’t sure if he would respond or not but thought he should ask anyway.

“Dobby thought if Harry Potter sir didn’t think his friends still wanted to be friends then he might not want to go back to Hoggy-Warts. Harry Potter sir must not go back to Hoggy-Warts. There be much danger going to happen in the castle this year.”


	12. Summer Part 2

**Privet Drive**

_He opened his bedroom door and was surprised to see his room was not empty. Blinking he stepped into the room and put his shoes by the door._

_“Hey, Corny.” Neville’s House Elf did not respond. Harry had met the Elf briefly during the Longbottom party over the Yule Holiday break. “What is going on?”_

_“Corny has found the bad Elf who takes Mister Potter’s mail.”_

_“That Elf was taking my mail?”_

_“Yes. Corny caught bad Elf Dobby in the act.”_

_Harry blinked, trying to unravel Corny’s sentencing. From the way he worded it, Dobby must be the Elf’s name. “Why were you taking my mail Dobby?” Harry wasn’t sure if he would respond or not but thought he should ask anyway._

_“Dobby thought if Harry Potter sir didn’t think his friends still wanted to be friends then he might not want to go back to Hoggy-Warts. Harry Potter sir must not go back to Hoggy-Warts. There be much danger going to happen in the castle this year.”_

Harry lay in his bed, staring at his ceiling. He wasn’t sure what to make of the little House Elf. House Elves in general were odd. Slavery was wrong. He knew this from history. House Elves, however, were not really slaves in the same way. 

The way Neville explained it, House Elves were in a symbiotic relationship with Wizards. The Wizard gained a servant or helper while the House Elf was able to keep their magic. House Elves had long ago been bound to Wizards. When they weren’t in a bond with a wizard they started to lose their magic. The bond kept the Elf’s magic stable and kept the Elf from madness. The only problem Harry had with the arrangement, considering it was supposed to be symbiotic, was that there was nothing ensuring that Wizards treated their Elves with care.

From what Harry witnessed last night, Dobby was fighting his bond and his sanity was already starting to deteriorate. If he’d had more time, and Dobby wasn’t there, Harry would have asked Corny about what he felt about the other Elf. 

The most aggravating part was that Dobby wouldn’t say anything more. He wouldn’t explain or even hint as to what was going to happen. All he said was that bad things would be happening at Hogwarts. When he even thought about saying more he started abusing himself. 

Hitting his head against the wall. Shutting his fingers in a drawer. Saying he needed to iron his hands. This list went on.

Dobby did not have nice masters. He wondered who they were. 

His aunt had come in at one point, right after Dobby had bashed his head into the dresser, knocking over some books. She was surprised to see the two Elves in his room. Harry had given her a brief description of what had happened and told her they could talk in the morning after he asked Neville about it. She had looked both concerned and relieved with that plan. His aunt was still wary when confronted with unfamiliar magics.

Harry had asked Corny to take a letter to Neville directly and to bring word back as soon as Neville had something for him. He hadn’t gotten a reply yet.

Corny had also ‘escorted’ Dobby away from Privet Drive. Harry had heard him mumble something about Elf Wards that Dobby would not be able to pass. So he guessed that Privet Drive was now safe from the crazy little Elf.

Now, he just had to lay there and worry about the dangers to come.

**Granger Residence**

“Daphne, are you alright?”

Daphne looked at her friend, she and Hermione were having a sleep over; a first for both of them. She was rather surprised her parents agreed, considering what it would say if any of their traditional friends heard but figured it had something to do with the fact that Hermione was the top of their year academically. “I’m alright.”

Hermione frowned. “You have been quiet and a bit broody.”

“Broody?”

“You know what I mean. Talk to me, Daphne. I haven’t ever had a good female friend so I am not going to fail in my duties as a friend when I finally do have one. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Daphne sighed. “Okay. Keep in mind that traditional pure-blood families do things a bit differently, even by general wizarding standards.”

“Explain and I will hold all judgements until you are done.”

Daphne raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, I will try to hold all judgements.”

The blond shook her head in amusement. That was really all she could ask the overly inquisitive girl. “Part of the reason the children of traditional families go to Hogwarts is to get to know their potential spouses. Pure-blood families are extremely concerned with ensuring the continuation of the family name. To continue the family name, you have to marry and in most cases, marry the right person. Unfortunately, the right person often means another pure-blood in your social circle. There is added pressure to families that did not produce sons. They have to find a family with a second son that would be willing to take his spouses name or one who would agree to allow their second son to carry his spouse’s family name instead of his own.” Daphne could see Hermione biting her tongue. “My parents aren’t as traditional as many other old families but they do get pressure from those other families.”

“What does that mean?”

“Though my father isn’t as traditional as other families, he will attempt to enter negotiations with my future husband, asking for one of two things. I have no brothers so my family name dies with my father unless either my husband, or my sister’s husband, agrees to either take the Greengrass name or allows a second son to take it.”

“I suppose I can understand that. The practice has fallen out of use in muggle families but it did happen generations ago. Why is this coming up now?”

“My father has been approached about the possibility of me being courted by some of the boys in my House at school.”

“Aren’t we a bit young for that?”

“My father thinks so; he wasn’t planning on looking into any of that until I was a third year at the earliest. My mother thinks all of the attention is wonderful. She was ecstatic when they were approached by the Head of House Selwyn. The houses of Flint, Nott and Malfoy also made inquiries.”

“Flint. As in Marcus Flint? Isn’t he a sixth year?”

“Yes, to all of that.”

“Isn’t he a bit old for you to even think about when you are twelve?”

“While I am twelve, yes he is too old, when I am seventeen?” She shrugged. “Flint is a better option than Antonin Selwyn, he is eighteen and just graduated from Hogwarts.”

“I find myself more than a little creeped out by that. What do you think of all of this?”

“Honestly, I don’t like it. I expected it but I don’t like it. I dislike the Selwyn family immensely; they are extremely traditional in that they think muggle-born students shouldn’t be allowed to attend Hogwarts. Marcus Flint is a detestable pig. I would never allow myself to be tied to him. Theo and Draco aren’t horrible but they do tend to put their feet in their mouths when Gryffindors are around; Weasley in particular.”

“Draco has been rather decent. I didn’t think he would be after that first month.”

“I had a conversation with the boys. I asked them if intentionally singling out muggle-born students, and ones doing better than them academically in particular, was a good idea. I called to their Slytherin cunning.”

“So not only did you confront Parkinson for me, you also talked to the boys in your House and got them to see the advantage of not attacking me for the circumstances of my birth?”

Daphne shrugged again. “It really is stupid to make enemies of someone just because they can’t trace their magic back ten generations. Eventually you will all be members of society with the ability to make changes to our society if you work hard.”

Hermione smiled and bit her lip. She couldn’t agree more. Now to find a topic that was a lot less pressure. “If you could choose anyone in the school, anyone at all, to be your future husband who would it be and why?”

“Ronald Weasley because he is a pig with no manners whatsoever. You?”

The brunette bit her tongue to keep from laughing. “Vincent Crabbe because he is so dim I could do all the talking and he would never be able to argue with me. But seriously, is there anyone you like?”

Daphne bit her lip. She was afraid to be honest about her answer. “Will you promise me that whatever my answer is you won’t be mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

“Just promise me.”

“Of course I promise, Daphne. We are twelve. The boy we like will most likely change a dozen times in the next six years.”

Daphne looked down at her lap and muttered, “Harry.”

Hermione’s eyes widened. “Really? You like Harry?”

“Yes.”

“Give me your reasons.”

“He’s smart and kind. He doesn’t let House affiliation stop him from making friends. Harry likes to laugh and he looks really good on a broom. I really like his eyes.”

“I think you two would be really cute together. You would balance each other. Your more serious and he, like you said likes to laugh. Plus, I can totally picture a little girl with your hair and his eyes.”

Daphne looked up sharply. “Don’t you like Harry?” She wasn’t about to admit she had pictured their kids in her head too.

Hermione shook her head. “Not like that. I think of him as a brother of sorts. We compete too much. Honestly, we act like siblings, or at least I think we act like siblings. Plus, I need to be needed. I don’t think Harry would ever really need me. He is too confident and too much like me. Don’t get me wrong, I would need a guy strong enough to stand with me but I think I would end up resenting being in Harry’s shadow. He has such a bright future that his unfortunate fame will make that future so much brighter.”

Daphne thought about it. She had thought the bickering was attraction, but she could see the sibling aspect too. Hermione also wasn’t wrong about Harry overshadowing any of her achievements. The-Boy-Who-Lived was determined to live up to his fame by being something great in honor of his parents; whatever he did he would do it in the public eye and he would do it well. That was just who he was. “Do you like anyone?”

“Not really anyone specific yet. Neville is a really nice guy but he is really just a friend. Blaise is really attractive, and I think he will just get more attractive, but he really needs to work on the attitude and quidditch mania. I actually find different aspects of different boys attractive. Neville’s kindness and dedication to his friends. Blaise’s overall appearance. Draco’s confidence and smirk.”

“Draco really has mastered the Slytherin smirk. But really, is there anyone at school that just makes you melt inside?”

Hermione bit her lip and looked away.

“Who is it?”

Hermione shook her head. “It’s really stupid.”

“I don’t care. You said it yourself, the boy we like will probably change at least a dozen times.”

“Fine. I think Cedric Diggory is dreamy. He’s smart and nice to everyone. He goes out of his way to help out younger students. His smile is just amazing.” She sighed in a way she never thought she would. Had she been listening to herself she would have been both surprised and disgusted. She sounded like Chang.

“I can’t fault your choice. He really is exceptionally attractive and rather smart. I didn’t think you went for obviously attractive but the intelligence fits.”

“My choice is shallow.”

“And you think most wouldn’t think my choice isn’t? Harry is famous!”

“But you’re his friend. You know him. That drops the shallow factor.”

“Cedric isn’t exactly a stranger. He hangs around Harry sometimes and talks to us when he does. So you can disregard some of the shallow in your attraction.”

“This is literally the most pointlessly girly conversation I have ever had.”

“Me too.”

“I kind of see why some girls are so goofy. This is kind of fun.”

“Please tell me you aren’t going to turn into Lavender Brown or Parvati Patil.” The two shuddered at the mention of the biggest gossips they knew. 

“Never. I request that you take me to the hospital wing immediately if I even begin to act like either of them.”

“That I can do, as long as you do the same for me.”

**Diagon Alley**

Harry, and Neville sat at a table in front of Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor. Neville’s gran was sitting inside next to the window, watching yet not intruding. She had agreed to let them meet Harry’s uncle Remus. Augusta would have preferred to have had Neville with her but knew he would insist on being there for his ‘godbrother.’ The two took their friendship and brotherhood seriously. 

They had planned to come to Diagon Alley that day to meet with the Potter Account’s manager. Augusta was concerned about the things Mister Lupin insisted were in the Potter Wills. If he was right, then Harry should have grown up with her and Neville. If that had happened, things might have gone differently. She might have realized she was stunting her grandson’s growth sooner and without Minerva confronting her about it.

Of course, the missing Wills weren’t the only thing concerning in Mister Potter’s life. When Neville approached her about his missing mail she had been concerned. It had been a brilliant idea to have Corny follow their owl to Privet Drive. The fact that a House Elf had been intercepting his mail was frightening. 

House Elves should not be able to act outside their orders like that and no proper wizard would steal mail from a child. They could do anything they felt necessary to protect their family, they could not do what this Dobby did. Stealing Mister Potter’s mail to get him to not want to return to school because of potential danger was so far beyond what the Elf should have been able to do. An Elf acting outside its bond was a dangerous Elf. 

“Excuse me,” Augusta turned to see a man who looked vaguely familiar. “I know it has been a long time, but I am Remus Lupin. We met a few times when Lily and Alice insisted on throwing parties despite the dark times we were experiencing.”

She nodded and extended her hand. “Of course, Mister Lupin. I remember those parties with fondness. I only wish they had all survived, intact to continue their parties during times of peace.”

“I couldn’t agree more, Madam Longbottom. I wanted to come in and speak with you before I approached Harry and Neville. I know you don’t know me well, but I wanted to give you my word that I am here because Harry is and always has been an important part of my life. His parents were my friends and he was my nephew. I only wish circumstances hadn’t kept me from him.”

“I hope, for his sake, what you say is true. I remember how James was with his friends. He would have insisted they had an integral part of his son’s life. I will be watching, but only because I should have been all along. I too failed in my duties to him.”

“Thank you for being so cautious, Madam Longbottom. I would much rather have you watching my every move than have no one question me at all. I hope it doesn’t take me long for you to trust me.”

Augusta smiled. She had been right. He was the responsible one in that group. When she saw him she thought that was how Alice and Frank described him but she hadn’t been too sure because off all the time that had passed. “I don’t expect it will take you much time. Now, go. That boy has been jumping in his seat waiting for you to show.”

\---

“Do you think that is him?”

Neville looked around. “Who?”

“The guy talking to your grandmother.”

Neville turned back to the building and saw a man with a scarred face and sandy blond hair talking to his gran. “Probably. She is talking to him and she keeps glancing this way.”

“He keeps looking at us too.”

“I wonder what happened to his face.”

“I do too. He looks tired.”

“Maybe he just got back today.”

“Could be. I know he was in France the last time I got a letter, the one that Corny got back for me. I did as you said and had Corny deliver my last letter considering how soon we were coming here. He could have been traveling all day.”

“His robes have seen better days.”

“True. I don’t really care though. All I really want is to meet someone close to my parents. I want to hear stories about them at school.”

“Me too. I wonder if he knew my parents too.”

“We can ask him.”

“He’s coming over.”

Harry nodded. Both boys had their eyes riveted to the weary man. His clothes were shabby and he did appear tired but he looked happy to be there. He was smiling at them. It was an honest smile; anticipation, joy and a little fear filling his eyes.

“Hi, Harry, Neville. I’m Remus.”

Harry stood and was about to reach out a hand to shake his but decided to go for a hug. The man was his ‘Uncle Remus’ after all. He wrapped his arms around the man’s waste and squeezed tightly. 

It took a moment for Remus to react. Harry’s actions surprised him greatly. While blinking in surprise he wrapped his arms around a boy he had loved for twelve years but had not seen in over ten years. 

“I missed you, Cub.”

“I don’t know what it is, but a part of me feels like a piece of home has come back to me. I missed you too, Uncle Mooney, even if I didn’t realize you were missing.”

The two smiled at each other. Neither had any fear clouding the joy in their eyes. Their family was growing.

**Gringotts – Account’s Manager’s Office**

“Thank you for agreeing to see us, Master Narvog.” Harry said respectfully, as Augusta instructed him to do.

“I am always available for the Potter Family, young Mister Potter. It disturbed me to learn you had not been receiving your account statements. I have stopped sending them for now and have instigated an investigation and audit on your account. I will be working under the assumption that any transactions, before your first visit last year, are against your wishes and if I find any, I will work to reverse them immediately.”

“Thank you. Now, I was wondering if you had located any Wills written by my parents?”

“Yes. There were copies of both your parent’s Wills on record in the Inheritance Department as well as in your family vault. The Wills have not been read due to the fact that they were sealed by the Chief Warlock directly after their death. I can only show them now because you, their heir, asked to see them.”

Harry nodded. He had been surprised to learn that the vault he visited the year before was a trust vault set up for him to use at school. His aunt had insisted on paying for his supplies but he had gotten some money out for purchases outside the supply list, just as the vault was intended. 

“I have reviewed both and found a number of concerning instructions. It seems someone moved mountains to see that your parent’s wishes were not followed and other information did not get out.”

Master Narvog growled on the last bit of information.

“Would you mind giving us a summary, Master Narvog?” Augusta wanted to know what the Goblin found most concerning but would wait for him to reveal the data on his own time. She would deal with why the Wills were sealed later.

“Of course. First off, as expected, your parents left the bulk of their holdings to you, which is expected as you are their only son. They did leave some specific things to friends. I can detail those to the individuals when they are contacted. I will divulge that they left fifty thousand Galleons to you, Mister Lupin. Miss Potter also left you with some of her work journals.”

“What does it say about Harry’s placement upon their death?” Augusta asked. Remus stood wide eyed and non-responsive.

“Mister Potter was to be placed with Alice and Frank Longbottom first. Their reasoning being that Alice Longbottom was Harry’s godmother. The fact that she was married and had a child Mister Potter’s age would make she and her husband the ideal primary caregivers. There was a note stating that the godfather, one Sirius Black, would be integral in his upbringing if he were placed with the Longbottoms.

“The second option was Mister Black. If both the godmother and godfather were unable to care for him, he was to be placed with Dorcas meadows. Finally, Minerva McGonagall was listed as a potential guardian. Of course, none of the alternate guardians were necessary as, at the time of their passing, Alice and Frank Longbottom were completely capable of taking in Mister Potter. Had he been placed with them, as was procedure, he would have then been placed in your care, Madam. Had you thought yourself incapable of taking charge of both boys, the Ministry would have then looked into the Potter alternates.”

Augusta nodded, keeping her anger in check. Someone would have a lot of explaining to do. She would have to try to determine the reasons for the sealing of the Potter Wills. Was it intentional? Was it done to hide something? Or was it merely by chance? “What other infractions have you found?”

“The most concerning bit of information was a note in Lady Potter’s Will. And I quote, “If we are killed while living under the Fidelius charm, then we were betrayed by Peter Pettigrew. I leave this note here, knowing that Sirius Black is bound to do something stupid. He has placed himself as the decoy secret keeper in hopes of reducing the chances of us being found. It isn’t a bad plan; I just find that I can’t trust anyone now. I will repeat, Sirius Black is not now and never was our secret keeper. Peter Pettigrew is our secret keeper and has been the entire time.” I believe that speaks for itself.”

“He didn’t do it.” Remus spoke softly, shock evident in his voice. “Then why would Peter…” He didn’t finish his sentence. “They only found a finger. He couldn’t have. Could he?”

“Remus?” Harry whispered in concern.

“If he didn’t betray them, then did he really kill Peter and those muggles? Why didn’t it come out in the trial? Peter wouldn’t be thought a hero if they had questioned him at the trial or read the Wills.”

“Master Narvog, I believe there has been a miscarriage of justice. Might I have a copy of the Wills so that I might take them to the Ministry and speak with the Head of the DMLE. I believe she will be able to get to the bottom of this.”

“Of course, Madam Longbottom. I fear I may have alerted other Accounts Managers to the oddities of this incident and the Black Account Manager is ready to demand the heads of his enemies. He is outraged that his client may have been sent to Azkaban for a crime he did not commit. He has been searching through his files and informed me that his client was never charged.”

“Mister Black was never charged?” Augusta all but growled.

“No, not according to our records and as you know, Gringotts keeps extensive records.”

“I am sorry everyone, but I am going to need to cut this meeting short. I have some very pressing business at the ministry so please, if you have anything else, say it quickly.”

“That was the most important portion of my report. I would like to look into Mister Potter’s accounts more closely. Could I request a second meeting with Mister Potter next week?”

“He will be here. I will speak to his aunt and one of us will bring him in.”

“Thank you, Madam. Thank you for coming in, Mister Potter and bringing these problems to our attention. Gringotts does not like these sorts of things to be allowed and we are quite aggravated at the individual responsible for all of this misdirection and falsification.”

“Thank you for the information, Master Narvog.”

“May your business swell your fortune, Mister Potter.”

“May your enemies feel the cold of your steel, Master Narvog.” Harry returned, vaguely remembering Madam Longbottom demanding he respond in kind if a Goblin addressed him that way. He was happy he had gotten it right when he saw the Goblins feral, tight lipped smile. Yes, he had earned a small bit of respect that day.

**Gringotts**

Filius Flitwick walked into the main room of Gringotts Bank and looked around. It was as he remembered. He had not spent much time within the walls of the Goblin back since the death of his Grandfather. Even after all those years, the bank looked much the same. 

He turned toward the least busy desk. This desk was situated in a dark corner of the main hall. The desk itself was smaller than all the others and was much dingier. To top everything off, the Goblin behind the desk was just as dingy and off-putting as his desk. This was done for a reason.

What few humans knew, was that this Goblin was actually the most important one in the room. There was a distinct hierarchy among Goblins, and the ones who dealt with humans the most were actually the lowest ranking. Tellers were only slightly more respected than cart operators. The Goblin in the corner, however had them all out ranked. 

If you knew anything about Goblins, you would know that he was placed as he was, dressed as he was, to test the resolve of their customers. Those who knew of Goblin tradition knew that to get a meeting with a high level Goblin, such as an accounts manager or senior accounts manager, the fastest way to do that would be to see the Goblin in the corner. Wizards in general, however, tended to avoid him because the rest of the Goblins on the floor looked much more respectable. They wore three piece suits and their desks were gleaming they were so clean. The Goblin in the corner wore a suit, but it was old and ill fitting. His desk was a mess and looked as though it hadn’t been cleaned in a decade. These aesthetic touches were for a purpose. They made it much easier to annoy those arrogant pure-bloods who thought themselves better than everyone else. Goblins found it hilarious they had to deal with the lowest ranking Goblins and often had to wait for appointments with account managers.

The trick was to learn Goblin customs. If you understood exactly who the Goblin in the corner was, you could get in to meet your account manager much quicker. 

Filius made his way to the only empty desk; the desk in the corner. 

“Good afternoon, Master Bloodscar.” Filius supposed the Goblin’s name added to the overall picture. Bloodscar was an unfortunate name even by Goblin standards.

“Master Flitwick.” Bloodscar said in his hard, graveled voice. There was no hint of welcome or even interest in his eyes. “What brings the wizarding teacher of charms, employee to the bearded lunatic, to Gringotts?”

“I wish to speak to a member of the Curse Breaking or Dark Artifacts teams. It would probably be good to add a representative of the inheritance department as well. I have come across some disturbing readings and have evidence of one who should be dead still roaming the world.”

“What sort of readings? What sort of evidence? How does the one roam?”

“I have copies of the readings to share. They were taken by an Arithmancer of some report. As evidence, I am prepared to show a memory of my encounter with the individual who now roams as a shade. He has no body as it was destroyed over ten years ago.”

The Goblin sat up straighter. “His body was destroyed over a decade ago?”

“That is what was reported. There have been no sightings of the man that I am aware of since the night of his supposed death, that is until I expelled his shade from a colleague.”

Bloodscar flipped up a grimy closed sign and stood. “Follow. I will take you to a meeting room and arrange for the proper parties to attend you. They may request a few others join in the discussion.”

Filius did not say anything as he followed. Any comment would be unwelcome at this point.

They made their way through a myriad of tunnels and Filius took the time to marvel, as he always used to, at the beauty and expanse of the Goblin home. Wizards and muggles alike would be extremely surprised to know how vast the tunnel system was. Gringotts was not just under the bank; it was under a few square miles of London. Magic, Goblin magic, made it possible for them to tunnel to the depths and lengths that they did. No other magical race had the Goblin affinity for earth and stone. 

Bloodscar lead him into a mid-sized conference room, directed him to sit, then left. 

He studied the room. All rooms were different in Gringotts. Part of their expertise with stone meant that they only built rooms that worked with the stone. Muggles drilled the stone into whatever they wanted; Goblins ‘felt’ the stone and worked it to form rooms that did not jeopardize the integrity of the stone. This meant that rooms were not always uniformly shaped. In fact, the only part of Gringotts that had squared walls was the portion that humans saw in Diagon Alley. 

Not long after, Bloodscar returned with six others. He recognized all but one despite the time he had spent away from the walls of Gringotts. It appeared, some had retained their position while others had risen in the ranks.

Bloodscar sat with the others. He had been at his desk for a very long time. He was old and grizzled. His hair was thick, white and stuck up in all directions.

Master Breaktooth was the head of Goblin Security. He had been one of the previous head’s lieutenants the last time Filius had been in Gringotts. It was not surprising he was now the head. He was tall for a Goblin. Muscled and scarred. His hair was dark and cut close to his head. His beard, however, was long and intimidating. 

Master Orcrest was, and had been for nearly one hundred years, the head of the Dark Objects department. He was an ancient looking Goblin. His once proud stature was now stooped with age and his head was now completely bald. He looked skeletal. He had terrified Filius when he was a child.

The head of the Curse Breaking department was new but Filius knew him as well. He appeared to be the youngest in the room. He was somewhat of a prodigy by Goblin standards. He was just starting in the Curse Breaking Department the last time Filius had been within the tunnels, and now he headed the department. Master Longclaw’s brown hair was well kept and his eyes were sharp.

There was an individual from the inheritance department. He was not the head, this Filius knew for a number of reasons. The first being that the head had not retired his position yet, Master Narwog had held his post almost as long as Master Orcrest. The assistant’s clothing was also an indicator he was not the head of his department. Clothing was always an indicator of a Goblins standing and this one’s cloths suggested that of a career assistant, mediocre at best. Lastly, he did not have the baring of a department head. He was far too passive.

The last two were a great surprise to the Hogwarts Charms Professor. One was actually a distant relative of his. They were cousins of a sort. Ragnok’s great grandfather was Filius’s great grandmother’s brother. Ragnok was currently the head of the Goblin nation. He looked the part. He dressed well, stood tall and walked with great confidence. 

The last was the oracle. Filius had never met or even seen the woman, but he knew who she was. Every Goblin knew who she was. Her wild white hair and milky white, unseeing eyes told the tale. She saw what no one else saw. She saw what could be. 

“What do you have, Filius?” Ragnok began with no introductions. 

There would be no pleasantries. This was far too important. So he began his tale. 

They did not interrupt, though Filius thought there were times they wanted to. 

The goblin from the inheritance department scribbled notes furiously throughout his tale. None of the others saw the need, they would read his notes when they were copied. 

“You say this shade was the human called Voldemort?”

Filius focused on the assistant. “Yes. Quirrell made a number of references to him when we attempted to hold him back. Then He took over and made his identity clear in both word and action.”

“This is troubling from an inheritance stand point. The fact that he is a shade should have been made apparent to my department soon after his reported death. If one is not completely dead, their vaults fall into limbo.”

“If Inheritance missed it, the Head of Accounts should not have.” Ragnok spoke. “I do not like this. Something has kept his status from us.”

“These readings indicate an extremely dark magic.” Master Longclaw looked up from his intense study of Septima’s readings. “You say this is a reading of dark magic centered in a young human’s forehead?”

“Yes. Those readings were taken of Harry Potter’s Curse scar.”

“Troubling. What is the boy’s disposition?”

Filius saw where the Curse Breaker was going. “Mister Potter is an intelligent, outgoing, friendly child. He is perhaps the most well-adjusted student in his year group. From my time with him, I have noticed that he is bright and inquisitive. He is rarely angry or sad in my experience.”

“And his magical development?”

“Mister Potter is at the top of his year in both intelligence and power. Our healer reports his core is one of the largest she has seen for someone his age.”

“Curious.” Longclaw drifted off.

“Are you thinking as I am Longclaw?” Master Orcrest breathed. 

Filius fought a shiver. His voice was always the creepiest aspect of him. It was low and breathy and yet still strong and gravely. It was hard to describe.

“I cannot say what you are thinking if you do not speak Orcrest. But if you are thinking he cheated death by tying a piece or pieces of his soul to objects, then yes I am thinking as you are.”

Breaktooth slammed his large fist into the table. “ABOMINATION. By the accord we must seek retribution.”

“Calm, Breaktooth.” Ragnok spoke while his voice shook with poorly shackled rage. “We need to examine the curse scar. We cannot begin a search without absolute proof.”

“What other explanation do you have, Lord Ragnok?” The assistant asked. 

“Hold your tongue, boy.” Bloodscar snarled. “We may all be thinking it; which is why Filius brought it to our attention. But we do not speak it into existence without proof. Filius did not hint at his guess, knowing we needed to draw our own conclusions.”

“Enough.” Ragnok held a hand up. “We need to look into the fact that we have a vault in limbo and we didn’t know about it. I want both the Head of Accounts and the Head of Inheritance to look into this personally. Bloodscar, escort the assistant out and give the order to the Heads.”

Bloodscar nodded and jumped to his feet. He bowed his head before grabbing the back of the assistant’s jacket and dragging him from the room.

“Filius, I know you understand the severity of the situation, so I ask that you please arrange for Mister Potter to meet both Master Longclaw and Master Orcrest at his earliest convenience. We need to get a read on that scar and what that darkness behind it is before we can continue.”

“Of course.”

“Breaktooth, I want you to instigate a random sweep. I want all vaults swept for Gringotts banned items completed by week’s end. You will need to coordinate with Longclaw and Orcrest.” Breaktooth let a feral grin spread across his face. Every Goblin liked a random vault sweep. It usually meant millions in fees for vault owners for breeches in contract. 

“I would like to thank you on behalf of the Goblin nation, cousin Filius. You have done your race proud by expelling the shade in the manner you have. You also deserve thanks for bringing your concerns before us.”

“It was my honor, cousin Ragnok.” Filius was beyond surprised the Goblin Lord was acknowledging their distant blood relationship. “I would do anything to protect my students and knew my Goblin half had the best chance of doing that. I only wish I could have brought you this news sooner.”

“We understand why you waited for summer to bring this before us. You did your research, ensuring there was nothing regular at foot. The most problematic thing for you was your boss. You could not have come before now without alerting the Headmaster of Hogwarts. No one wants him sticking his crooked nose into this.”

**Ministry of Magic – Department of Magical Law Enforcement**

Amelia Bones’s assistant, Marianne, was terrified. Augusta Longbottom was an intimidating woman when she was in a good mood, she was downright terrifying when she was enraged. On that particular day, Marianne could see she was enraged despite the fact that she had barely stepped into the room.

“I need a meeting with Madam Bones immediately. I do not care if she is busy. You will inform her that I have an urgent matter that requires her immediate attention.”

“Of course, Madam Longbottom.” Marianne stood and winced, knowing the stern woman could hear the fear in her quaking voice.

She knocked on the door and entered before her boss could answer. “I am sorry to disturb you, Ma’am, but Madam Longbottom is here and demands a meeting with you. She says it is urgent and she will only speak to you.”

Amelia was irritated by the interruption. That irritation dissolved when her assistant explained. Augusta disregarding protocol and demanding a meeting meant the situation was dire. “See her in immediately.”

The shaking woman nodded and backed out of her office. 

Augusta barreled through a moment later. She walked directly to Amelia’s desk and slammed a sheet of parchment on her desk.

“Peter Pettigrew was the Potter’s secret keeper.”

‘Bloody hell!’ Amelia thought. This was going to be a long day…


	13. Summer Part 3

**Ministry of Magic – DMLE**

Amelia sat at her desk, completely shocked. Gussy had been right. Sirius Black had not received a trial; he had not even been charged with a crime. Legally, every individual arrested for a crime had to be charged and given a trial. A crime of the magnitude Mister Black should have been charged with would have been put forth before the Wizengamot; considering the climate, it would have gone before the entire Wizengamot. 

The only problem was, there was no record of him being charged. There was no record of a trial. There were no records beyond the arrest report. She wished the individuals who filled out the arrest report were still in the department. They hadn’t followed procedures. The initial report from Moody, who was at the scene but was not the lead investigator on that incident, said that Black was disoriented and most likely in shock, thus in no condition to be questioned. That meant that anything said at the scene could not be taken at face value. So, Black’s confession was put into question.

To make matters worse, and they really didn’t need worse, they didn’t test his wand. Testing a suspect’s wand was one of the first things investigators were supposed to do. The wand was just put into evidence and never touched. When she had pulled it from evidence earlier that day and tested it, she did not find a single aggressive spell. The last spell he cast was a shield spell, the one before that, a stunner. Before that, tracking spells, numerous tracking spells. There was not a single spell in the wand repertoire that could cause the death of Pettigrew and the thirteen muggles. Black was also not found with a second wand, so there was absolutely no way he could have killed anyone that day.

With the Will and his wand results, there was no evidence he was guilty of any of the crimes he was imprisoned for. There was a grave miscarriage of justice and she had to fix it. She just didn’t know who would attempt to stand in her way.

Someone, or a group of people, had worked extremely hard to hide information concerning Harry Potter and Sirius Black. The people at the top of her list for instigating these blocks were not people you accused lightly. Barty Crouch was a man who had sacrificed his career during the war due to his practices and his son’s affiliation with the terrorist Voldemort. He had become a hard man who towed the line and followed the letter of the law. She wasn’t sure if he just didn’t notice or assumed the investigation had happened as it was supposed to. Minister Bagnold had immunity. Every previous Minister was given immunity for every action preformed while in office. This was done because in the past, rival politicians had passed laws that made certain actions of the pervious office unlawful and thus had the previous Minister arrested after the fact. To stop this, Ministers were guaranteed immunity for every action performed as Minister. The investigators were either retired or in higher offices, like the Minister, who was first at the scene. He would have been responsible for detaining Black and securing the scene. He may or may not have even questioned Black. Worst of all, Albus Dumbledore was perhaps the most respected man in their world. 

Who could she trust? Who could she turn to?

She knew some of her Aurors were trustworthy. She couldn’t trust the ones in the Minister’s pocket; they were used to following Umbridge’s orders. There were others she couldn’t trust because of their general outlook. She couldn’t prove it, but she thought there were some in the department that were sympathetic to the pure-blood agenda. Black may be a pure-blood but she doubted certain individuals would want him free once more. 

Rufus was trustworthy. He may be overly ambitious, but he was also very strict about following the letter of the law. Then there was Shack. Kingsley Shacklebolt was one of the most promising in the department. He was a senior Auror and she thought he was one of the few who could not be bought. Dawlish was a good man, if a little bit of a suck up. She couldn’t go to Dawlish though because he was one of Fudge’s favorites. Edwards followed orders. Lock had a big mouth. Then there was the newer Aurors; she wasn’t really familiar with them yet. They hadn’t proven themselves.

The department was depressingly understaffed. 

It looked like she would have to keep this close. Rufus and Kingsley. 

Amelia stood and walked to the door. Opening it slightly, she addressed her assistant. “Marianne, get Rufus and Kingsley in here.” She paused. “NOW.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” 

Amelia watched the young woman power walk through the room. Marianne was a good assistant. Her last one spent too much time gossiping and doing her nails. Marianne, however, was determined to move up in the Ministry. She, rightly, thought that doing a good job as the Head of the DMLE’s assistant was the best way to go. Amelia may not be able to promote her outside the DMLE but she could make it difficult for her to move any higher.

Kingsley arrived first. His desk was farther away but that was still not surprising. Rufus would take his time as he hated to be summoned like that. “Take a seat Shack. I want to wait for Rufus before I start.”

Kingsley nodded and sat. Amelia liked that he was able to read a room. She didn’t need a reply, she needed him to do as he did. Sit and wait.

When Rufus sauntered through the door, she started. “I have been given some rather disturbing information. I don’t want to color your opinion so I would like you to read this.”

Both men were handed a copy of Lily Potter’s Will. Shack started reading, and she knew the moment he found the bit about Pettigrew. His body went on alert. 

Rufus did not start reading the will. “This is the Will of Lily Potter. The Wills of both Potters were sealed. How did you get this?”

“This was brought to me by a concerned citizen. She got the copy from Gringotts with Mister Potter’s permission. As you know, the heir can request a copy of a Will filed with Gringotts as long as they have reached the age of eleven. Mister Potter is twelve.” He frowned. Rufus did not like being reminded of policy. “Now I would like you to read it and let me know if you find anything that doesn’t add up.”

He glared slightly but read anyway. “Are you kidding me? This can’t be correct.”

“Check the date and the seal.”

She knew, from her own study, that the Will was dated days before the Potter deaths and had the Gringotts seal of authenticity. 

“Then he was still guilty of killing Pettigrew and the muggles. It is illegal to take a life, no matter what the individual did.”

Amelia could see that Shack had gone passed that and was already heading to the conclusion that Black could be innocent. She picked up the case file and handed it to Rufus. “This is the Black case file.”

Rufus looked down at the file. It wasn’t right. It was far too thin. He flipped through the pages. The only reports inside were the initial arrest report, the magical reversal report detailing the steps taken to reverse the damage and the Obliviator’s report. There was nothing about Black being questioned. Nothing written about him being charged. No trial records. No order for his transfer to Azkaban. There was no data on his wand being examined. In fact, there wasn’t even a report from all individuals on scene. There were exactly 2 filed Ministry statements. One from Fudge, first on scene. One from Moody. Those two reports so contradicted each other it was ridiculous.

“This can’t be right. Where is the rest of the file?” Rufus handed the file to Shack absently.

“That is all I could find. I harassed the young man working in records then harassed the head of the department. Once they realized the file was far too thin, they were on a mission. They search the entire section dedicate to the crimes committed in the name of Voldemort. That is all they have.”

“Fudge’s report claims he was celebrating killing the Potters and Pettigrew. Moody’s report claims he was alternately laughing hysterically and crying uncontrollably. From experience and reputation, I would lean toward believe Moody’s report. Which means that Black was most likely suffering from shock and nothing he said on scene would be admissible in court.”

“You are absolutely correct, Shack.” Amelia looked back to Rufus. “I took the liberty of pulling his wand from evidence and checked the last spells preformed.” She handed her report to Rufus. “You are, of course, welcome to check the wand yourself.” She waved toward the wand sitting in an evidence box on her desk.

“There are no spells in the last dozen on the wand that could obliterate Pettigrew and destroy the surrounding areas.”

“No, there aren’t.”

“What do we do?” Shack asked into the silence. “Fudge will not want to dredge up old wounds and will most likely see this as an attack on his position as Minister. The fact he was first on scene and we are questioning his report won’t help either. Then we have to consider Dumbledore and Crouch. Crouch is proud, even after all that happened, he too will see it as an attack, but he will see it as an attack on his honor. Dumbledore may not want the people to see that he is capable of making mistakes, if this was a mistake at all. He did seal the Wills and I can’t think of a good reason to do it in the first place. As Chief Warlock, he was also responsible for ensuring that due process is followed, which it obviously wasn’t.”

She really did love Shack. He saw right to the heart of the problem.

“Who brought the Wills?”

“Augusta Longbottom.”

“This won’t be buried then.” Shack deduced.

Rufus smiled slightly. “We use the old laws. A member of the Wizengamot, one of the original families, can bring cases before the Wizengamot without informing the Chief Warlock or the Minister as the original families predate the Ministry and the position of Chief Warlock. With the backing of another family and the Head of the DMLE, Fudge won’t be able to protest.

“We pull Black quietly, taking oaths from the guards and we keep Black in one of our holding cells. We set up a rotation of Aurors to see to his needs; we keep the rotation between those we trust and who agree to take an oath of secrecy. They must take the oath before they know what they will be doing. The next Wizengamot meeting is just over two weeks away so that gives us time to see to Black’s mental and physical health, or at least partially.”

That was why Rufus had his position. He could plan many steps ahead and do it quickly. He had come to the same conclusions she had. 

“Of course, you had already thought of that hadn’t you, Amelia?” 

“I needed you to follow the same path as me, Rufus. If we found the same conclusions and planed the same plan, then I knew we would succeed. I also needed you to determine who we would use to guard Black. I spend too much time dealing with lawyers and politicians, I don’t know the men as well as I would like.”

“Shack, get Edwards. The two of you will be heading to Azkaban, your assignment is classified, for our eyes only. You will be in charge. I will approach the more promising Junior Aurors about the oath and guard detail. I will inform you who you may approach when I have the names.”

Shack nodded and sped from the room.

“Thank you, Rufus.”

“Don’t thank me, Amelia. This is my job. The fact that this happened at all is a disgrace to the department and the ministry. I will not stand for it.”

“I couldn’t agree more. I will approach Gussy about bringing the case before the Wizengamot. She will know who to approach to back her play.”

“I am going to have one of the boys review all of the case files from that time to ensure no other appalling screw ups happened.” He scratched his head. “Linden was injured yesterday apprehending Simmons. He was hit by a powerful withering curse. The Healers say he should make a full recovery because he was seen before the curse hit anything internal but it will take time. Linden has a good record; he can be discrete.”

“Good. I can only hope there aren’t dozens of men and women sitting in Azkaban waiting for their day in court.”

“I doubt there are more. A number of them have family. Black and his family weren’t on speaking terms so they wouldn’t speak up for him. If anyone else didn’t get a trial I would think their family would make that known.” He smiled ruefully. “At least we know there haven’t been any since you took the Headship.”

“A small relief, Rufus.”

Rufus nodded gravely, a small relief indeed.

**Privet Drive**

Filius Flitwick hated using a full body glamor. He was proud of what he was, both Wizard and Goblin, and using such a glamor made it seem like he was hiding who he was. Unfortunately, when visiting muggle-born students, the glamor was necessary. 

He didn’t visit students at their homes often anymore. Minerva had taken control of all home visits years ago; she was the most diplomatic and comfortable in the muggle world. He only visited his students if there was an issue that directly affected the student and Ravenclaw house. That didn’t happen often as his Claws were generally well behaved. 

To the outside world, he looked like a man of average height; brown hair, brown eyes and a face that wouldn’t leave an impression. The perfect disguise. He didn’t really need to go unnoticed; it was just easier to portray a face that wasn’t remarkable.

He knocked on the door of number 4. Number 4 looked a great deal like every other house in the neighborhood, save for the fact that the gardens were much better kept and it appeared they had a magical rose bush under the window. 

He smiled to himself when he heard barking coming from inside. He loved dogs. Filius couldn’t really get one himself, he was much too small for his favorite breeds, but he loved playing with other people’s dogs.

The door was opened by a tall woman with a long neck and a kind smile. Behind her, was a larger boy, not really heavy, but not entirely skinny either. The boy was holding back a mid-sized dog he thought might be some kind of spaniel. It was a handsome dog.

“Good afternoon, Ma’am. I am one of your nephew’s professors, Filius Flitwick. I was hoping to speak with you and Mister Potter, if you have the time.”

“Of course, Harry is upstairs getting cleaned up. He and my son took the dog for a run. Please, come in.” She pulled the door open wider and looked at her son. “Dudley, take Beans out back and get Harry, please.”

“There is no need to put the dog out. I like dogs.”

She turned back to him, “It’s for my sanity. Beans and I don’t see eye to eye on anything. I don’t like the dog on my furniture, Dudley, Beans and my husband think it’s amusing watching me chase the dog off the furniture.”

Filius smiled slightly. “I can see how that would be irritating.” Closing the door behind him, Filius pulled his wand. “I am currently using a glamor to change my appearance; would you mind if I dropped it?”

She blinked. “Whatever makes you most comfortable, Mister Flitwick.” 

“Thank you. I will warn you; I am quite a bit smaller than I appear. I have Goblin ancestry.”

They made their way into the living room, Filius dropping his glamor before taking a seat in an arm chair.

“Can I get you any tea?”

“I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”

“I had just started a kettle actually so it’s no bother at all.”

“Then a cup of tea would be lovely.”

They knew the boys were coming when it sounded like a heard of elephants were approaching. Filius smiled to himself, children where the same whether they had magic or not. They rarely did anything slowly or quietly.

“Hello, Professor Flitwick,” Harry smiled as he walked into the room. “Can I help you with the tea, Aunt Petunia?”

“Dudley and I can handle it, Harry. Sit and entertain your professor.”

Harry and Filius talked of inconsequential things. Being a teacher, Filius asked how Harry’s summer homework was coming.

Being a Ravenclaw, and second in his year, Harry was able to truthfully tell his professor that his homework was complete. “I am getting together with Neville, Hermione, Daphne and Blaise to review and fact check next week. Daphne says she has a great potions volume she thinks I will enjoy and everyone wants Neville to check over their Herbology homework.”

Filius chuckled. “Yes, Mister Longbottom does have a way with plants. Professor Sprout raves about his abilities in the staff room. Of course, I get to brag about my students being the top in nearly every year group.” 

“Why do you think I claimed him as my Herbology partner? I was ecstatic to see Ravenclaw was paired with Gryffindor last year. I just hope we are paired with the same houses next year. I like all of my partners.”

“Now you know we professors recommend working with new people, right?”

Harry smiled. “I suppose I have been allowing myself to fall in a rut. I will do better to spread out next year.”

“Watch out, Harry.” Dudley reached around his cousin to put the tea tray on the coffee table. “How do you not spill anything?”

“Practice, Dud. It also helps if you don’t stare at the tray.”

Petunia served the tea and the group situated themselves for a meeting. “I hope it’s alright that my husband isn’t here. He has been working longer hours due to a possible promotion at work.”

“That is quite alright.” Filius looked to his student. “I do hope you explained about the incident with Quirrell?” Harry nodded while his aunt frowned. “I do apologize for that. We were completely unaware of what was happening with the man.”

“From what Harry told me, you were one of the professors responsible for protecting the students. The blame does not fall on you but the man who hired him.”

Filius nodded, “Thank you for understanding. I honestly couldn’t agree more. Before I move on to my reason for coming, I would like to assure you, Mrs. Dursley, that certain members of the staff are watching very closely. We will not allow something like that to slide.”

“Thank you.” Petunia could live with that. If Harry’s Head of House was going to look out for oddities, then she knew someone was there for the students.

“Now, the reason for my visit. Harry, do you remember Professor Vector looking over you after you were safely on the ground during the practice match?”

“Yes, Professor. I was wondering what she was doing. Her spells appeared to be basic healing scans at first but after that I couldn’t identify them.”

“Professor Vector is a master of Arithmancy. She picked up an odd reading during one of her medical scans so she performed some additional scans generally reserved for other purposes. I don’t want to alarm anyone, but what she found was startling. 

“Septima Vector picked up some trace dark magic during a medical scan. A healer might miss the dark residue but an Arithmancer should pick it up. The reason it could be missed is the fact that the dark magic is not connected to your core so it does not intersect with any portion of your magic, which makes you very lucky. Her additional scans showed that the trace dark magic was something exceedingly dark and malicious. Had it been somehow connected to your core; it is likely you would not be the same boy you are. 

“The dark magic is centered in your scar. We can only guess as to what it keeping it contained in your scar but whatever it is has saved you. The amount of darkness permeating your scar would have made it impossible for you to be as you are. At the very least, it would have made you angry and depressed. Most likely, it would have also made it difficult for you to make friends and concentrate. To put it bluntly, you probably would have behaved very poorly had that malicious magic had access to your magic. That doesn’t even take into the account what could have happened to the strength of your core.”

“If it wasn’t contained it could have drained my magic or stunted its development, right?”

“Correct, Mister Potter.”

“What are you going to do about this dark magic?” Petunia forced out. She was terrified. “I don’t want that darkness in my nephew.”

“That is part of why I am here. Professors Vector, Babbling, Snape and myself have been researching what this could be. Madam Pomphrey has been monitoring your scar to ensure there is no leakage. We met after the school year to discuss our findings and some of the readings Professor Vector presented looked vaguely familiar to me. I took the scans and research with me to Gringotts.

“Goblins have been studying dark magics for hundreds of years. Their Curse Breakers are the best in the world. If Gringotts hasn’t seen it, then it is new. To say the Department Heads were alarmed would be an understatement. It was requested that I set up a time for you to go to Gringotts and meet with some of those Department Heads so that they might study the darkness directly. If anyone can identify and remove the dark magic, it is the Goblins.”

Harry and his family didn’t say anything for a few minutes. There was too much to absorb.

“I am so glad we got a new history professor.” Harry said into the silence. “If we hadn’t, I might have been brainwashed into believing the only thing Goblins were good for was banking and starting wars.”

Filius almost chuckled. That was a fairly accurate description of Binns’s lessons. “The Goblins of Gringotts and I will do everything in our power to cleanse your scar. Children are sacred to Goblins. Magic of this darkness is forbidden. There is nothing that could stop us from fixing this.”

“When do they have time to see him? We have no pressing plans; I would be willing to have my husband take tomorrow off so we could get him there as soon as possible.”

“The Goblin Heads did wish to see him at your earliest convenience. I could take him myself if you did not want to join us.”

“No.” Dudley spoke for the first time since their discussion began. “This sounds like a big deal and kind of dangerous. Family should support family in times like this. If there is something dark in Harry’s scar, then I want to be there for him.”

“I agree with Dudley. Family is everything. I think my husband would agree as well. He will want to be there, no matter how uncomfortable magic makes him.”

“If you are sure you have nothing pressing for tomorrow, then the Heads of the Curse Breaking and Dark Artifacts Departments of Gringotts would prefer it if Harry was at the bank by eight tomorrow morning. If that works, I would like to advise you to not be late.”

“That will not be a problem,” Petunia said firmly. Her nephew would be there on time. 

“Very well, I will meet you in the main entry way at 7:50 then. It will take a few minutes to traverse the tunnels.”

The group stood. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I appreciate that you had a possible solution ready for us as well. I would not know what to do about a dark presence in his scar.”

Filius waved his wand, reapplying his glamor. “I would do anything for a student, Mrs. Dursley. I would do more for the son of one of my favorite students. I would lay down my life for the son of Lily Evans.”

**Gringotts – Healer’s Hall**

The Dursleys were more than a little freaked out but they were trying to hid it. Dudley had been okay in the entrance hall but the fact that all the Goblins kept scowling at him, even though that was just their regular expression, was putting him on edge. Vernon had been ready to bolt the second they stepped into the Leaky Cauldron but he was holding it together for his wife and son. He was holding it together for Harry too.

Petunia was freaking out because she was worried. She didn’t notice the stern faces on the Goblins. She didn’t notice the glares from the pure-blood wizards. She didn’t notice much of anything because she was panicking. 

Harry was as calm as he possibly could be. Yes, he was worried about the darkness in his scar but he knew his Head of House would never let anything happen to him. The darkness was concerning and he could tell whatever it was had caused his professor to lose sleep. Harry was staying positive because his family was falling to pieces. If he fell apart, his aunt would fall apart. If Aunt Petunia fell apart, Dudley would lose it. If Dudley and Petunia had break downs, Vernon would herd them all to the car and drive until he couldn’t drive any farther.

“Thank you for coming, Mister Potter. I am Longclaw, the head of the Curse Breaking department here at Gringotts. The old decrepit Goblin in the corner is Orcrest, he heads the Dark Artifacts department. We have a few theories as to what is encased in your scar. I will be preforming the detection spells while Orcrest, Healer Garnet and Filius monitor your health. This is only as a precaution. Dark magic can sometimes react poorly to detection so they are there to ensure nothing goes wrong.”

“Alright, Master Longclaw. Is there anything I need to do?”

“No. You shouldn’t need to do anything but relax.”

Harry laid down on the cot when Longclaw told him to. He was determined to be calm.

Longclaw started chanting. Harry didn’t understand a word. The youngest Goblin held his hands over Harry’s face, palms down, eyes focused on his scar. His hands began to shine brightly with white light, that light intensified with each graveled word. 

His scar pulsed with angry red light. Harry felt his scar beat like a pulse. He had never felt anything like it.

Master Longclaw stepped back. “Orcrest, would you like to back my findings?”

The old, skeletal Goblin took Longclaw’s place. He too began to chant. Harry thought he used a different spell. Orcrest placed one hand in the space over Harry’s scar. He felt his scar beat with a pulse before the aged Goblin’s hand lite with golden light. The golden light descended until it met with the angry red light that pushed out from Harry’s scar.

He would have thought he would feel pain, but he didn’t. All Harry felt was the odd pulsing that felt like a pulse originating from his scar.

“I suggest someone contacts Lord Ragnok.” Orcrest growled at a Goblin standing in the corner. The Goblin jumped and scurried out of the room.

“So, it is one of those?” Filius asked without naming the object. He did not wish to speak of them, let alone name them.

“Indeed. It is surprising that the boy is unaffected. There appears to be something shielding him from the malicious nature of it. Somehow, a shield of magic has encased the anchor and contained it to the scar. The signature is not familiar to me and it is not the boy’s doing.”

“I am not familiar with the signature either,” Orcrest wheezed. “I am unaware of a spell that could have done this. Do you have any idea as to the identity of the person who could have shielded the boy? I would be most interested to talk to them.”

Filius nodded sadly. “I have an idea that I can verify with a simple test. If I am right, you won’t be able to talk to the caster. She has been dead since the night he got that scar.”

“Please,” Longclaw waved toward Harry. “Run your test. It would be good to know the identity of the caster, whether they are alive or dead.”

Filius waked to the bed and smiled slightly at Harry. Harry had sat up while the Goblins talked. “Harry, we have determined what is trapped in your scar. Gringotts does not allow such darkness to exist so they will come up with a way to remove it. The interesting thing is, there is a magical shield around the darkness, holding it in place. I would like to determine who placed the shield on you.”

“It was my mom, wasn’t it?”

“I think it was, Harry. I can verify our suspicions with a simple test. Lie back, I will have an answer in a moment.” He pulled out his wand as Harry laid back down. Harry thought he spoke in Latin but he had no idea what he said. “Whatever your mother did that night saved you from a darkness so great we hesitate to name it. She was an amazing woman and a wonderful mother.”

“Well said, cousin Filius.” The occupants of the room turned their attention to the regal looking Goblin standing in the doorway. Harry watched as the Goblins all bowed their heads to him, so he followed suit. “It is horrible that one of those objects was created. We can take solace that a child will not be sacrificed to it.”

“Mister Potter, Dursley family, this is the Head of Gringotts and the Goblin Nation, Lord Ragnok. Lord Ragnok, this is Harry Potter, of the Potter family and his maternal Aunt Petunia. These are Petunia’s husband and son, Vernon and Dudley.”

Ragnok nodded at them. He addressed the Dursley adults. “I am sorry to meet you all under these circumstances. Know that the Goblin Nation will not stand for vile magic being used to create this darkness, let alone placing the darkness in young Harry. We will remove the taint and will do our best to erase the individual responsible from existence.”

“Thank you, Lord Ragnok. I am honored to meet you despite the conditions surrounding our meeting.” Harry breathed a small sigh of relief seeing his professor’s small nod of approval. He had worded that correctly. “I only hope I have not inconvenienced the Goblin Nation.”

“I think it is genetically impossible for a Potter to inconvenience the Goblin Nation, young Mister Potter. Your family has always had strong, respectful ties to our people.” He turned his attention to his department heads. “Did you prepare for the ritual?”

“It seemed best to err on the side of cation,” Orcrest studied his long finger nails. My department prepared the ampule and collected the symbols.”

“The room has been examined and all necessary repairs were completed before the sun rose. I took the liberty of calling the best field agents into the office today knowing the boy would be here.” Longclaw added once Orcrest had finished.

“Good. When can we begin?”

“I will have to speak to my Curse Breakers. I had my top field agents reviewing the process. If I remember correctly, this particular ritual requires precise timing. The steps are altered by the time of year and position of the moon in correlation to the sun. If we are to succeed in removing it with no complications, then we need to do this correctly.”

“Join your team. The sooner we know the optimum time to begin the better.” Ragnok did not bother to wait for a reply, he moved his attention to Orcrest again. “I want you to personally examine the ampule and symbols. Check in with Longclaw to ensure you have the correct symbols acting as representation. We cannot allow any mistakes; the consequences are too dire.”

“Of course, Lord Ragnok.” Orcrest bowed his head and swept from the room, moving much smoother than his stooped form would suggest was possible.

“Healer Garnet, I need to speak to Head Healer Dravor.”

She nodded and rushed from the room, heading further into the ward.

Ragnok pulled a chair toward the cot and sat regally. “Now, I am going to give you a brief overview of what we discovered and what is going to happen next. I can’t share all the details as certain things are forbidden. Gringotts and the Goblin Nation know far more on this subject than we would like and refuse to share this knowledge for it has been used for foul deeds in the past. This is both tradition and law.

“First I will say that the darkness in your scar is among the darkest magic known to any sentient magical being. I will not speak its name for even knowing its name could bring you unwanted attention. What I will say is that the darkness is something that keeps an individual from death. The greatest crime any creature can commit is to cheat death. 

“The darkness in your scar is actually a piece of a soul.” Ragnok could see the confusion and fear in the muggle eyes. Revulsion painted the young Potter heir’s face. “A being’s soul is not light or dark it simply is. The soul can, however, change. There are certain acts that alter the very essence of a being. Most, unfortunately, cloud the soul. If enough acts that would normally only cloud the soul are committed, the soul can begin to emit a feeling of darkness. There are a small number of acts that will paint a soul black on their own. The process that splits the soul is one such blackening act.

“When one splits the soul and places a piece in a secondary object that individual cannot truly die. At the time of death, the soul leaves the body and moves on to the next plane. Having a piece of one’s soul secured outside the body prevents the soul residing in the body from moving on as only complete souls can move on. The act of separating the soul to cheat death is a crime against the very nature of life.”

“Who would do such a thing?” Petunia gasped, her voice barely a whisper.

Ragnok looked at the young man sitting on the cot. He was rubbing his scar. “Can you think of one who might do this?”

Harry nodded hesitantly. “Voldemort. They said it was locked within my scar and I have had that scar since that night. As far as I know, he is the only person dark enough to try and the only one who I had any contact with.”

“Indeed, Mister Potter. You have come to the same conclusion as your professors and Gringotts.” He tilted his head, “There was a problem, however. When a soul does not move on, the individual’s vault cannot pass to the inheritors. Gringotts has no record of any Voldemort having a vault with Gringotts, or any other bank in the wizarding world.”

“Could he have an account at a muggle bank?”

“Interesting question, Mister Potter, and one we cannot check. It is possible but doubtful. From all reports, Voldemort despised the muggle world. What my Inheritance Department looked into was the possibility that Voldemort was a false name. We did, in fact, find a vault standing in limbo. This does not happen often, there were a total of three on record, all of which were accounted for and waiting for the holder’s circumstances to change. It seems that someone missed one though. There was a fourth vault in limbo and it had been in limbo since October 31, 1981. That vault was registered to Tom Marvolo Riddle.”

“Are you allowed to tell me that?”

“You have every right to know as Mister Riddle placed a portion of his soul in your head. He has committed many crimes against wizard and muggle alike but none have suffered as much as you. If there is anyone who deserves to know his name, it is you.”

“Thank you, Lord Ragnok.”

“What happens now?” Dudley squeaked.

“Now we remove the soul from your cousin.” Ragnok spoked softly. He did not want to frighten Harry’s family. “I will not lie, the process is extremely complicated and to my knowledge, no soul pieces have ever been hosted within a living vessel. There are a few ways to destroy these soul anchors but most we cannot even consider because they destroy the vessel. We, obviously want to avoid that, so we must remove it before destroying it.

“Had the soul been residing in an inanimate object we could have destroyed it with the venom of a Basilisk, hell fire – which wizards call fiend fire, or some specialized Goblin tools prepared for just this task. Because the soul resides in your scar, we will have to choose the most complicated option.”

“So, there is an option that doesn’t guarantee my death?”

“Yes, Mister Potter. Gringotts has a way that won’t kill you. Historically speaking, wizards who do this to cheat death place their soul anchors in important vessels. It is logical as they are less likely to be misplaced to destroyed. Some of these vessels are so historically important that no one wants to see them destroyed. Gringotts found a way to remove the soul from the vessel so that these relics would not be lost.”

“My Lord Ragnok.”

The group turned to see a small, older Goblin walking down the hall. He wore the same scrub like clothing Healer Garnet had been wearing, leading Harry and the Dursley’s do believe that this was Head Healer Dravor.

“Healer Dravor,” Ragnok acknowledged him. “Has Healer Garnet appraised you of the situation?”

“She has, my Lord. I believe I should head to the Curse Breaker records room and speak with the team who will perform the ritual. This has never been done on a live host so I wish to know the ritual inside and out so I might anticipate any complications for the boy.”

“Perfect. You have anticipated my orders. I have complete faith in your abilities.”

The healer nodded and power-walked out of the room.

Ragnok smiled, “I have to reassure the healers or they get surly. Goblins are a warrior race but we haven’t had much chance to do battle so my healers get bored easily. Reassuring them of our belief in their prowess saves us headaches when we actually need them.”

“What can you tell us about the ritual?” Petunia’s voice shook with fear for her nephew. Vernon held her hand in his, offering what support he could.

“Unfortunately, not much. I was not a Curse Breaker before I took my post as head of our Nation. I was trained in the International Affairs office before becoming its Head. I know very little about the practices of our Curse Breakers. Cousin Filius, your grandfather taught you about more than just general rituals, do you know anything about what might be in store for Mister Potter?”

“I don’t know specifics as I was not given a full Curse Breakers training, grandfather was not a Curse Breaker but a ritual specialist and researcher. He did more research than performance but there are a few rituals that are kept within the Curse Breaking office; this is one of them. There are a few basics to every ritual. Goblin magic, like most sentient magical races, is based in the elements. Goblins have a special affinity for earth but we honor all of the elements in rituals. Some say there is only four elements, but we believe there are five. Air, earth, water, fire and spirit, so to us, the number five is the most powerful. Rituals happen within a circle and the circle is created using those elements. When Orcrest left he spoke of symbols; those symbols will be representations of the five elements. They will need to be properly balanced and no circle is created with the same concentration of elements. 

“The Goblin Curse Breakers will call to the elements for guidance and protection. I suspect that five Curse Breakers will perform this ritual, one standing as representative for each element. This ritual will be challenging and powerful so it will require five casters. I assume they will have Healer Dravor monitoring Harry’s health while the ritual is ongoing. The ritual will call for the soul to be pulled from him and placed in the ampule. I can only speculate but I assume the soul will fight to keep its hold on the vessel in which it was originally interned. This may be painful for you, Harry.”

Harry gulped. “What’s a little bit of pain? If it means that I am freed from the dark remnants of the man who killed my parents, then I can deal with it.”

**Curse Breaking Office – Records Room**

Master Longclaw looked over the research handed to him by his lead field agents. Goblin Masters Ashlock and Warnol were the best in his employ. Their teams had the highest completion rating of any other groups throughout the world. There was a reason they were generally stationed in Egypt. He had recalled their teams so he knew he had the best available if their suspicions were correct. 

Ashlock was the one who had calculated the earliest opportunity to perform the ritual. He said the earliest they could do it was in five days’ time, that is if they wanted the boy to survive. 

“Good. I agree with your calculation.” He looked up from the parchment. “Red, Head to Healer’s Hall and inform Lord Ragnok immediately.” The tall human nodded and left without hesitation. 

Longclaw liked the boy. He was the youngest on the team but he was perhaps the most promising. He was part of Warnol’s team and Warnol only accepted the best. The redheaded wizard had already surpassed one of his Goblin teammates in terms of skill. Longclaw was tempted to assign him to the secondary team needed for the ritual. 

“Ashlock, Warnol, we need to choose the fourth and fifth castors. Then we need to decide on the ten individuals who will maintain the circle from outside.”

“We have already discussed this.” Warnol handed him a sheet of parchment. It listed the casters, his name was included, as well as the support team. He was pleased to see that his team agreed with him. There were two wizards on the list. One had been in their employ for over two decades, one was the man he had just sent from the room. Joshua Linwood and William Weasley were impressive humans to have gain the notice of so many Goblins.


	14. Preparations

**Letters**

_My Friends,_

_I am sending you all the same letter so that you all hear everything in my words._

_I am not going to be able to meet up this week to study. I have a conflict that I can’t reschedule._

_Do you remember the incident with Quirrell? Well, when I was on the ground Professor Vector checked me over to make sure I was alright. While checking my physical health, she discovered some dark magic in my scar. The teachers have been looking into it ever since. Professor Flitwick took their findings to the Goblins when they could not find a definitive answer. The Goblins have identified what that dark magic is. They will not share what it is called with me, all they will tell me is that it is very dark and they do not allow this type of darkness to remain in the physical world._

_In order to remove the dark magic from my scar, I will have to undergo a ritual performed by the Goblins of Gringotts. This ritual will happen in a few days and I have to do a few things to prepare for the ritual. There is a potions regimen I am on and I have to spend as little time around magic as possible to ensure no outside magic interferes with the ritual. I don’t have the full details but that is an outline of what is happening._

_The Goblins say I am extremely lucky. Apparently, the darkness has been in my scar for ten years. In most cases having this type of magic connected to you will influence how you develop. I was not influenced by the darkness. The working theory is that my mom did something that encased the darkness in my scar and sealed it there so it could not leak into me or leach away anything from me. No one is sure how she did this, but they know it was her._

_I will be in and out of Gringotts all week so I can’t meet you. I will owl when I am home. We can get together then. I am sorry that I can’t join you. If you need to, go school shopping without me. If not, we can set up a day next week._

_Harry_

_…_

_Remus,_

_Sorry I haven’t written in the last few days. Things have been strange._

_Long story short, there is some dark magic in my scar. Professor Flitwick and some of the other Professors have been looking into it. The Goblins have been called to evaluate and they didn’t like what they were seeing. They had me go to Gringotts and they scanned my scar somehow. They are now setting up a ritual to remove the darkness._

_Bright side, I have not been affected by the dark magic because of something my mom did. Whatever she did sealed the darkness so it couldn’t do anything or take anything from me._

_If it isn’t too much to ask, would you be there when I go into the ritual on Sunday? My family is going to be there but they are really scared by all of this. I think they will be calmer if there is a wizard around who might be able to reassure them._

_I think it would help calm me if you were there too. You knew my parents. If you were there it might be like my parents were there to protect me._

_I want to tell you everything about all of this but I really want to do it in person. I will be at home or at Gringotts all week. I am at Gringotts at exactly ten every morning for some pre-ritual things. They send me home at twelve thirty. I can’t go anywhere once I get home so that is where I will be._

_I hope I see you this week. If not, write me and I can go into more detail._

_Harry_

_…_

_Harry,_

_Oh, Merlin. Are you okay? What type of dark magic? Is there a possibility of possession? Are you going to be okay? How dangerous is the ritual?_

_Do you need me to do anything for you? I could pick up your school supplies if that would be easier. Is there any sort of recovery time? Will you be able to go home the day of the ritual? How is your family holding up?_

_Have you talked to Remus?_

_What can I do?_

_Hermione_

_…_

_Harry,_

_Gran told me I shouldn’t worry because you are in the hands of the Goblins but I am going to worry anyway. You are my godbrother and it is my job to worry about you._

_We will wait for you. That is all I am going to say about that._

_Tell me when the ritual is and I will be there for you and your family. Gran and I can try to calm them down while you are doing the hard part._

_Neville_

_…_

_Harry,_

_I am attempting to be calm in all of this._

_Logically, I know that the Goblins are the most qualified to perform rituals to cleanse. The old families often go to the Goblins to have dark magic removed from family heirlooms and newly acquired artifacts. I also know that you are strong, both physically and magically, so your magic will aid them in protecting you._

_Illogically, I am a complete mess. I have never had great friends. All the kids I grew up with were children whose parents worked with my father and we had little in common. You are one of my best friends. Rituals can go wrong, mostly when wizards do them, but that isn’t the point. Dark magic has a way of fighting back so it could cause a complication. Complications can be deadly._

_Please follow all directions the Goblins give you. If you follow their directions to the letter you will have a much easier time of all of this._

_There is no need to apologize. Your health is much more important than our homework. We can wait for you to get our supplies. The list hasn’t come out yet so you are not delaying us anyway._

_Yours,_

_Daphne_

_P.S. When will the Goblins be performing the ritual? Would you mind if I was there for you? I would like to support my friend._

_…_

_Harry,_

_So, I guess that means you can’t come with me to a game tomorrow night?_

_Kidding. I can’t go that game anyway._

_I am here for you, mate._

_We can get together for homework and shopping after your ritual._

_Blaise_

_…_

**_HARRY-KINS_ **

_Are you okay?_

**_Do you need us to come hold your hand?_ **

**_Make sure you do everything that the Goblins tell you. We know you are going to be in the hands of Goblin Curse Breakers and they are literally the best in the world at removing dark magic from vessels._ **

_Our brother is a Curse Breaker so we hear about his work when we see him. He has told us that the Goblins take magical cleansing very seriously. Goblins also value children above everything so they won’t take any chances with you._

**_We know you won’t be able to have any visitors before the ritual so we just ask that you let us know when you are going to have the actual ritual performed._ **

_We want to be there for you._

_Fred and **George**_

**Gringotts**

Remus strode into the bank with purpose. He walked directly to the only desk that was empty. James had let him in on a secret years ago about that desk. 

“Excuse me, Master Bloodscar. I am going to skip the pleasantries, one - because I know you don’t care and two - because I am in a hurry.”

“What can I do for you.”

“I have reason to believe Harry Potter is here, I need to see him. He is my family.”

“Does he know you are looking for him?”

“He invited me. He says he will be here between ten and twelve-thirty every day this week. I didn’t want to go to his home without talking to the Curse Breakers as I don’t want to impede the ritual. I need to see him and speak to the team working with him.”

The goblin stood and gestured for Remus to follow him.

If Remus could, he would thank James for the heads up about the Goblin hierarchy on the floor. Going to the scary Goblin in the corner really did cut down on the bureaucracy.

He was led to a long hallway with a number of doors on each side. Bloodscar pushed open a door without knocking. “Talk to the Werewolf.” He barked to the young man in the room. “The kid should be able to answer your questions and will get you to the boy.”

Remus blinked after the Goblin, half in fear, over the fact that the Goblin knew what he was. He wasn’t registered with any ministry in Europe. 

“Come on in. You are going to have to tell my why you’re here. Bloodscar doesn’t give details to those he considers minions. Unfortunately, that means me. I am the youngest on my team and I’m human.” He stood and extended a hand. “Bill Weasley.”

Remus jumped forward. “Remus Lupin. How did he…?”

Bill smiled. “Goblins can smell the wolf. At least that is what my team leader told me when I asked. I met a werewolf in Egypt. I didn’t know he was one and he didn’t share. My boss walked in and asked who the werewolf was. The guy was shocked and terrified.” He shook his head, “Goblins don’t care about what happens to you once a month. I don’t either if that matters. But if it makes you feel better, I am contractually required to keep anything I learn within the walls of Gringotts confidential.”

“You said Weasley. Does that make you a relative of Fred and George Weasley?”

Bill winced. “What did they do and how can I make it up to you? They mean well they just don’t always realize that their pranks might go too far.”

Remus shook his head. “They haven’t done anything to offend me. I actually pranked them. You should ask them for the letter they got from Selena.” Remus smiled fondly. “I know them because they have sort of adopted a boy who is like my nephew.”

“You pranked my brothers?”

“Yes, but now is not the time for that story to be told. I am here about Harry.”

Bill lost all humor. “You know Harry Potter?” He had barely met the kid but he liked him. Harry was really a brave kid and he had had some crappy things happen to him. Bill would protect the kid from unwanted fans.

Remus pulled a letter from his robes. “Harry sent me this. I didn’t want to go to his house before speaking with the Curse Breaking team. I know rituals can be very specific and any outside element can drastically change the outcome. What do I have to do to be there for him?”

Bill read through the letter quickly. The kid had shown an extremely brave face so far. Apparently, he was comfortable enough with this man to show his fear. “You may need to spend all of your time with Harry in order to be with him. I will have to check with the leads on the team but I think we can cleanse you of outside magics and attune Harry with your magic. That should allow you to be with him without affecting the ritual. It might also help with the ritual if we had a wizard attuned and cleansed. Getting him here without new contacts has been challenging.”

“I will do anything for him.”

It was easy to see that Remus meant what he said. “Give me a few minutes. I’ll be back.”

**The Burrow**

Bill stepped out of the Floo into his family home. He hadn’t been home since his team had been called back. There had been a chance that Bill was going to have to live with Harry until the ritual was performed. Transporting him to and from Gringotts was currently contaminating him. They needed him cleared of all magic not involved in the ritual. It had looked like the only way to achieve that was to have one of the Curse Breakers transport him or require he stay in Gringotts. Having him at his home was preferred as it was a magic free home.

Remus was the answer to their prayers. Bill and the other human members of the team were busy prepping and working on their other assignments. Remus was currently staying with Harry. He and Harry would only encounter the other’s magic for the next few days and the man would be doing next to no magic. The older man would Apparate them straight to the prep room and then directly back to the boy’s home ensuring that no stray magic could find him. 

This left Bill free to visit his family. 

“Arthur, your home early.” His mom came around the corner and walked into the room, drying her hands on a rag. 

“Hi, mom.”

“BILL!” Molly flew at her son, wrapping him tightly within her arms. “I didn’t know you were home. How long are you staying? Are you home for good? Have you eaten?”

“Sorry I didn’t Floo ahead. I wasn’t sure if I could get away before Sunday night. My team got called in for a special assignment. There was an element we hadn’t worked out until this afternoon.” He paused when he heard the thunder of feet on the stairs. His brothers and sister came running into the room a moment later. They must have heard their mother’s shout. 

Ginny took a flying leap; he was forced to take a step back on impact. “BILL!” she screamed in his ear.

“Hey, Gin.” He smiled at his brothers over the little girl’s head. Looking back at his mother he continued, “I’ll be in town at least until Wednesday. I should be able to come to dinner every night and I am supposed to have Monday off.” He set Ginny down and then pulled Percy into a hug. “I don’t know where I will be by the middle of next week as I don’t know if my team will be sent back to Egypt or not.” 

Ron pushed Percy out of the way when Bill released him and then jumped on his oldest brother. 

“I ate lunch but would love to stay for dinner.” He finished his mother’s questions with a smile. 

“I will have to make something special for dinner. Ginny, come help me in the kitchen. Percy, I need you and Ron to finish cleaning the inside. Ron, you will actually have to do some of the work. Fred, George, you need to de-gnome the garden and pickup all of the quidditch gear you boys left lying about.”

Bill laughed as his siblings groaned but made their way to their ordered destination. 

“I am going to head outside, take a walk around. I have missed this place.” Bill followed the twins out while his mom went to fix a major feast.

“It seems our brother has not forgotten us.”

“He does seem to have followed us.”

“I wonder what he wants.”

“We could ask.”

“Or you could both tell me about your friend Selena.”

They shared a look and then burst into hysterical laughter. 

“Agatha, did he ask about dear Selena?”

“Indeed, he did, Enid but I thought I was Enid.”

“We never discussed it. I just decided that I should be Enid because the name has four letters like my name and Agatha has six letters like yours.” 

“Interesting coincidence considering we didn’t tell Mister Mooney our names when we wrote to him. How do you think he heard about sweet Selena?”

“I believe I met Selena.”

“You met Remus?”

“How did you meet Remus? Is it about Harry?”

“Are you part of the team that is going to take the dark magic out of his scar?”

“Is Harry alright?”

“We are working on it. I have told you how Goblins feel about children and dark magic. If anyone can fix this, it is the team we have working on it. Now, how did Remus Lupin prank you?”

“Well, you see it all started first year when we found a sheet of parchment in Filch’s Office…” That night, Bill Weasley spent a great deal of time laughing. The Weasley twins had found a worthy opponent.

**Privet Drive**

Petunia sat at the kitchen table facing the glass door that led to the back yard. Normally, when she sat like this, she was watching that dog dig up her flowers. But not tonight. Harry was in the back with a man Petunia was beginning to like.

They had headed to Gringotts as a family two days ago. Tuesday had been a really bad day for the family. That was the day they learned that Harry had some really dark magic in his head; magic that was connected to the man who murdered Lily. Gringotts was going to remove the darkness but they couldn’t do it right away. The best time to do it was Sunday for some reason. It had something to do with moon positioning in conjecture with the distance from the son, she hadn’t really understood it all but was willing to take them at their word. Every day before the ritual, Harry needed to take some potions and be magically cleansed or something like that. It was all so confusing. 

Harry had been gone longer than expected that day. The Goblins had decided that he would Floo to Gringotts every day, using a squib’s Floo, until the ritual was performed on Sunday. On Wednesday, he had left just before ten and returned just after twelve-thirty and it was supposed to take the same amount of time every day. He hadn’t returned until nearly two that day.

When he had returned the day before, Wednesday, he had written to all of his friends and Remus. Hedwig had been instructed to deliver Remus’s letter first. Petunia knew that Harry really wanted Remus to be there; partially for her and Vernon, mostly for himself. She and Vernon would appreciate his knowledge. Harry needed his comfort. She wasn’t stupid enough to think she and Vernon would be able to calm him when it was usually his job to calm them around magic.

It seemed that Remus had gotten Harry’s letter and dropped everything to be there for him. Harry had returned with Remus. The Goblin team had tasked Remus with Harry’s transport to and from the bank for the remainder of the week. Harry had tried to explain why this worked better but she didn’t get that either. Magic was extremely confusing.

After explaining that Remus would have to stay with them until after the ritual, she had Dudley set up the guest room and the two had gone outside to talk. She needed to watch just in case Harry needed her. 

Harry had broken down. She knew it was from fear. 

Remus had looked furious for all of a second and then he had been there, holding Harry in his arms while he cried. Harry was strong. He didn’t like to cry and she never understood why. Seeing him collapse into Remus’s arms, his little body wracked with violent sobs, almost made her cry. 

After his sobbing had subsided, Harry had started talking. They sat against the shed; Harry still held tight in Remus’s arms as he told him everything. Then Remus talked for a while. She didn’t know what he said but whatever it was surprised Harry. 

When they stood, Petunia scrambled to start dinner. She didn’t want them to think she had been spying. She hadn’t been, not really, they just couldn’t think it.

…

“Do you mind some company?”

Petunia looked up from her magazine to find Remus standing in the doorway. 

It was late. Harry and Dudley were in bed and Vernon had fallen asleep on the couch watching television, he was snoring rather loudly but she was used to it. “Please, have a seat.”

Remus sagged into an armchair and sighed. “How are you doing with all of this?”

Petunia bit her lip. “I’m terrified. I made a great many mistakes when I was younger, because of them I lost my sister and didn’t get to say good bye. I didn’t get invited to her wedding and only got one letter from her; the letter announcing Harry’s birth. When I heard about what happened,” she shook her head to clear the pain. “I realized Harry was all that was left of her. He was my second chance. I could never get my sister back but I could raise her son the way I was sure she would raise him. I may not have been able to explain magic to him or show him that world but I could tell him about my sister. I could raise him with her values. I think I did an okay job.”

“He is a great kid, Petunia. He is so much like his parents. He has his mother’s heart and study habits and his father’s sense of humor. Lily and James would both be proud of him.”

“Thank you.” She set down her magazine and reached for her glass. She wished it was a glass of wine, not water. “When Mister Flitwick told us about his suspicions about the dark magic, I was afraid. When the Goblins explained what was going on, I was utterly terrified. I knew Harry was scared but I couldn’t get a handle on it. Harry was acting brave for us because despite all the time he has been here, we still fear what magic can do. I wanted to comfort him, support him, but I didn’t know how. I felt like a failure.”

“It isn’t failure to be afraid. You don’t understand magic and you haven’t grown up knowing about what the Goblins are capable of.” Remus ran a hand through his hair as he sighed. “I was born to magical parents. I have known magic all my life. I know what everyone assumes and thinks. Despite all of that, when I read that letter my heart stopped. It took all of my strength to comfort him when he gave me the details. Like you, I can’t lose him.”

“Will he be okay?”

“I can’t give you a definite answer. What I can do is tell you that the Goblins are the best chance he has and they aren’t taking any chances on this. They ran the numbers and found three possibilities on when to run this. Sunday was the only one they thought acceptable because the others would mean he had to have that darkness in him for months more. To them, it wasn’t worth the chance. They don’t know what is shielding him from the darkness, it is completely new to everyone, so they don’t want to take the chance that something could break the seal. If that seal is broken, he could be consumed by whatever was put in his scar.”

“Are they confident?”

“Yes. Goblins are very practiced at cleansing dark magic. Most of the time that cleansing is done to objects but they always plan for every possibility so they can cleanse mortal beings too. Like I said, they aren’t taking any chances. The daily trips to Gringotts aren’t entirely necessary, he could take the potions here, but they are making him do it because it gives him the best chance. I am helping too. Harry and I are being cleaned of outside magics so that we are only affected by each other. This cuts down on the chance of contamination. I will be there for the ritual because my magic and his magic will be comfortable around each other when the ritual begins. I will be an anchor of sorts.”

“Are you confident?”

“I am optimistic. I can’t say confident because I have lived a fairly pessimistic life. Things don’t generally go my way but in this case, I am almost sure everything will be fine.” He smiled. “I shared something with Harry about myself earlier, most wizard born individuals don’t react well to my news. Harry didn’t care. Just like his parents.”

“Should I be concerned?”

“No. I would never do anything to hurt him and me news is only concerning one day a month and I would never dream of being anywhere near him on that night.”

“Once a month?”

“I am a werewolf.”

“Werewolves are real?”

“Yes. I have been one since I was a child and have never bitten anyone. I have a set plan for the full moon so you have nothing to fear.”

“Had you told me that before today, I might have been afraid, but I saw you hold him while he cried, I could tell you would do everything you could to protect him.” 

**Headmaster’s Office**

Albus Dumbledore smiled his most grandfatherly smile as he took on his new Defense Professor. He really liked the man. Gilderoy Lockhart was not the most accomplished Ravenclaw student. Albus barely remembered the young man, not that he really remembered many students, but what he remembered of Lockhart was his fashion sense and his extremely non-Ravenclaw ability to cast magic. Filius had ranted about the boy’s lack of focus and disinterest in the practical side of magic. Gilderoy had only been interested in how he looked and how he was going to get people to look at him.

It appeared that nothing had changed. Gilderoy was dressed in the most smashing shade of puce robes Albus had ever seen. His hair was perfectly styled, and partially fake. His smile was magically enhanced, how else could he get his teeth to glint. If he wasn’t mistaken, Gilderoy had also spelled his eyes. Albus could have sworn his eyes had been a different shade of blue; it rankled that they were almost as twinkly as his own. 

“Welcome back to Hogwarts, my boy.” Albus twinkled. He loved twinkling. “Thank you for agreeing to teach the Defense course for me. I seem to have trouble keeping the professor of this course for more than a year.”

“No, Albus. Thank you for allowing me to impart my wisdom on such young malleable minds. They need someone like me if they want to be successful in life.”

“So true, dear boy. Do you have any questions for me before we sign the contracts?”

“Nothing particularly important. I am having trouble deciding which of my books to assign to which year. There is important information in each volume that every year needs to know after all. How would you assign them?”

Albus smiled, he hadn’t read any of the books. He knew Gilderoy was incapable of performing even one of the many feats he claimed to have accomplished. “Why should you need to decided? You can just assign all seven of your books to all seven years.”

“Well, I had thought of that but my manager thought it would be a bit much. If you say it is fine, then that is what I shall do. I will have to apologize to Minerva, she asked for my book list a week ago but I haven’t replied.”

“Don’t worry about it. I will personally add your books to the supply lists. It will save Minerva time so she won’t be mad at either of us.”

“Thank you, Albus. Though I suppose I should have expected it; those of us with an Order of Merlin do have to look out for one another.”

Albus had to fight a sneer. He knew Lockhart was full of it. Gilderoy Lockhart had never been nominated for the award, let alone presented with one. “Indeed. Now, there is a staff meeting scheduled for tomorrow, eleven. All staff must be there and I suggest you be on time. You wouldn’t want to displease Minerva or Severus. They do love promptness.”

“I well remember Minerva’s insistence on students being on time to class. I don’t know that I remember much of anything about Severus. What does he teach?”

“Severus Snape teaches Potions. He has since Horace’s retirement. Severus was a few years ahead of you in Slytherin House.”

“Oh, yes. Greasy boy with the large nose, right? Has he done anything about that hair yet? Does he even own shampoo? No matter. I can help him with his appearance. More wizards should embrace the colors of life don’t you thing, Albus?” 

“Of course, Gilderoy. Now if you will just sign these three forms here everything will be set.” It would be highly amusing if Gilderoy tried. Severus would kill the man.

The smiling fool quickly signed in lavender ink. Albus wondered if he should have a signature ink color too. Perhaps baby blue. “Thank you for allowing me to impart my knowledge, Albus. I will head to my office and classroom now. There is no time like the present to get my space set up and ready for teaching. I will see you at the staff meeting tomorrow.” Gilderoy Lockhart all but skipped from the office.

The second the door closed behind him, the smile left Albus’s face. Dear Merlin the man was irritating. 

“That man isn’t qualified to teach a child to wash their hair and you want him to teach Defense. Are you insane?” Albus turned and scowled at the portrait of Dilys Derwent.

“To make matters worse,” Brutus Scrimgeour added. “the poof dresses worse than Albie does. I don’t think I can take another peacock strutting around these walls.”

“I told you not to call me Albie.”

“Do I look like I care? You can’t do anything to me, I’m a portrait.”

“He’s right Bumbles.” Headmaster Dippet scowled. “Another thing, you can’t assign seven texts for one class to every year. That is utterly ridiculous.”

“The professor can do as they wish. It is in the bylaws.”

“While that is true, the headmaster is supposed to review selections and ensure they are acceptable choices.” Dilys frowned. “It is your job to make sure the book is at the proper educational level for the students and is informative enough.”

“Gilderoy’s books are perfectly informative and each one focuses on a specific topic. He could very well need all books for all years to give them a full education.”

“Or you could just be trying to irritate your Deputy.” All eyes turned to Vindictus Viridian. “When the parents see the book list, they will send letters complaining about the cost and waste of assigning seven books to every year. Minerva will have to then reply to each and potentially reassign books.”

Albus frowned. He really hated Viridian. Why did the man always see through his plots? “That isn’t what I am doing. The parents will have to complain to Gilderoy.”

“You haven’t announced his placement yet.”

“Oh, come now, Vindictus,” Phineas Black sneered. “You should be happy. It looks like Dumbles is trying to get expelled from the castle. You may not like him but at least he will be gone soon and then we can play with his replacement. I personally like the cat. At least she has claws and cares about the students more than her own legend. I think she would be a decent sparring partner.”

“Too true, Phineas. Dumbly Bumbly has been spending too much time breathing in his own story. It is no wonder he thinks he can rule the world. Wizarding Britain is full of sheep. He is just leading them to the slaughter.”

Albus paused as the portraits continued to insult him and his newest professor. Could this get him expelled from the school? “Hat, am I in danger of upsetting the school?”

“Albie, I do not regret many of my sorting choices. Gilderoy Lockhart is one of seven that I have trouble swallowing. I regret putting him in Ravenclaw because he is literally the stupidest man the house has ever housed. Unfortunately, he does not have an ounce of cunning in him so Slytherin is out despite his ambition and he outright refused it because he dislikes the color green and feel silver is just not his color. Gilderoy is not brave, he would sooner run away from an angered pixie than face a Bogart, he also felt I needed to know he preferred pastels and red was just too harsh. Finally, he does not understand hard work or loyalty. I was forced to place him in Ravenclaw because none of the other founders would have been able to stomach him, which is saying something as Helga liked everyone.

“Assigning seven books of fluff as a Defense text book?” The hat returned to the question. “Yes. The castle could ignore hiring the smiling moron as he could teach if he assigned a halfway decent text and just had them read the chapters and perform the spells. But hiring the moron and assigning texts that read more like romance novels could very well get you fired.”

“How do you know how the books read? I haven’t even red them. You don’t have eyes.”

“Headmistress Antonia Creaseworthy told me. You know she spends a great deal of time in her portrait at the library in Wales. They do book readings all the time and she just loves romance novels. She said they were quite fanciful.” 

Albus turned back to the portraits, searching for the Headmistress. She was studying her nails with great interest. “Antonia?”

“Did you have to tell him, Hat? I was looking forward to having Minerva in this office all the time. She likes romance novels too. We could have compared favorites and she might even agree to read one out loud for me. Book readings don’t read enough of a story.”

“Antonia…” Albus tried not to snarl.

“Oh, alright. Yes, I have heard exerts from four of his seven novels. They are not factual in any sense and read like romance novels. In the one about Werewolves he claims that he got the beast in a headlock and performed the Homorphus Charm to turn it back to its human form. There is always some damsel in the story that he finds rather attractive. She is either held hostage or knows the location of the beast’s layer. He usually says something about regretting leaving a broken heart behind at the end of the book or in the dedication.”

Albus swore viciously. He couldn’t lose his job. How was he going to fix everything that was wrong with the world if he couldn’t shape minds? He would have to speak to Gilderoy. “How am I going to fix this?” He spoke under his breath. “Perhaps I can make up some rule about Professors being barred from assigning their own work. Yes, that should work. Now what text to assign? I suppose I could just use the texts assigned by Quirrell, at least they were informative and respected for the courses.”

The old man swept from the room, muttering to himself. The portraits sat in their frames, smirking. They couldn’t do much but they could control the headmaster by insinuating he was going to lose his job. It was so much fun to bring fear to a man who thought he could do no wrong.

**Azkaban**

It was funny thinking about what could become funny when your life was stolen from you. When all you could do was contemplate life, and focus on the mistakes you made, you eventually came to the point where the very act of breathing was funny. He knew it would be easier if he just gave up and stopped breathing but he couldn’t do that. Giving up on life would mean giving up on him. 

Sirius Black wanted to give up. He wanted to let the darkness take over so that he didn’t feel the cold or the pain anymore. But he would never do that. He could never do that because giving up meant giving up on his godson, Harry Potter. His godson was his reason for living.

Some days he thought he was insane. How else could he explain what his life had become? How else could he deal with the betrayal? 

He knew roughly how much time had passed. The human guards talked when they brought food. He didn’t blame them; all of the screaming and moaning was hard to handle. He knew that ten years had passed. He had counted. 

At first, he counted the days. Tallying every evening meal. He managed that for a year and half. Then he started counting time by news about birthdays. One of the guards had a kid whose birthday was in August; he thought the day was the twelfth but the exact day didn’t really matter. Sirius knew another year would pass when he would start talking about how he couldn’t believe his little girl was older and he didn’t know what to get her for her birthday. 

After that, he counted years by when another guard commented on his grandson heading off to school. The guards gave him the tools to figure out that his godson, his Harry, had gone to Hogwarts that year. If he wasn’t mistaken, Harry would have completed his first year by now.

The last year had been worse than all the ones before it. It was worse because he was actively thinking about what he missed. He didn’t know what Harry looked like now. Did he still look just like his dad or did he look more like his mom? Was Harry a prankster like James or a bookworm like Lily? Did he follow Potter tradition and become a Gryffindor? 

Sirius realized he had missed out on teaching Harry how to fly. He hadn’t been able to take him to get his first wand. Harry could have chosen an own or a cat. He could love Potions or Transfiguration. Did he like Puddlemere or Ballycastle or worse, the Cannons? 

Damn he hated flees. 

He sat up on his too skinny, furry behind. It was too quiet. That time of day the floor was always filled with moans because the Dementors were always near. If there were no moans, that meant the Dementors had been pulled from the ward. If the Dementors had been pulled from the ward, that meant there were people in the ward. If there were people coming, he needed to not be a dog just in case they walked by his cell.

There were two things he loved about the fact he was an animagus. The first was that it lessened the affect the Dementors had on him. The second was that he had slightly heightened hearing, smell and eye sight because of it. Because of his heightened senses, he heard the footsteps approaching. The fur didn’t hurt either. 

Interesting. Maybe it was some pureblood coming to ‘inspect’ the prison while really, they just wanted to gloat about the fact, they got off scot-free. It didn’t happen often but there had been one or two over the years. He wondered who it would be. Yaxley had been the first. Of course, he played it off like a tour because he was somewhat connected to the DMLE. He had forgotten the name second. 

When the footsteps stopped outside his door, he didn’t know what to think. Perhaps it was Malfoy coming to brag. Malfoy was guilty but had gotten a trial and claimed Imperious; he had heard the guards talking about it early on. 

It didn’t matter. One day he would get out. He just needed a plan. He had started planning some time ago; it was just so hard to focus so he hadn’t gotten very far. 

The door opened to reveal a tall black man that looked vaguely familiar. Where had he seen him? Was he a trainee during the war? What was his name?

“Sirius Black,” the dark-skinned wizard said in a deep, oddly soothing voice. “I am Kingsley Shacklebolt. I have been instructed to remove you from Azkaban and take you to a high security holding cell at the Ministry. This is in light of some information concerning your case. You will only be questioned by myself, Auror Edwards,” he nodded to the blond man standing at his elbow, “Head Auror Scrimgeour, or the Head of the DMLE, Madam Amelia Bones. Will you come willingly or will I have to restrain you with force?”

“I,” he cleared his throat. Sirius hadn’t spoken in some time and his throat was dry and sore from disuse. “I am not sure I can stand.” He barely managed to croak out. Irritated that it was true. He was ridiculously weak.

Kingsley walked toward him, wand securely in his holster.

“Shack.”

“Edwards, does it look like he could take me down? He probably only weighs a hundred pounds.” He left the fact that he could obviously out class the starved man out of the statement. “I’ll get him up, you get the door.”

“But he’s…”

“Did you read the file?”

“Yes, but…”

“Is the man I am currently holding up capable of taking me down without a wand?”

“No.”

“Do you believe in the law, in due process?”

“Yes.”

“Then trust me and follow the orders laid out by Madam Bones.”

Sirius watched the man. He didn’t seem overly fearful, just cautious. “There are two of you and one of me. You have wands and I don’t even have shoes. What could I do?”

The man, Edwards, blinked and actually looked at Sirius. He shook his head and pulled the door open, “You need help with him?”

“You could conjure him some shoes. Amelia would probably kill us if he lost any toes.”

Edwards snorted his mirth and conjured a pair of slipper-like shoes. They had thick pads inside. Sirius slipped his feet into them and nearly wept at how warm and comfortable they were. He hadn’t expected the kindness.

“Now let’s get out of here, Shack. This place is terrible.”

“Try living here for ten years. If the cold and depression don’t get you, Bella’s moaning will.” Sirius muttered under his breath. 

Kingsley heard him and couldn’t help flinching at the thought. What would he have done had he been thrown in Azkaban without a trial? What would keep him going? Would he have been sane after ten years of constant despair? He didn’t have the answers to those questions. All he did know was, that by some miracle, Sirius Black was at least sane enough to speak and make sarcastic comments. 


	15. Fixing the Problem

**Gringotts**

Daphne, Hermione, and Neville sat in a room with Harry’s relatives. Hermione had instantly gone and sat with Harry’s aunt Petunia, they knew each other slightly and Hermione thought she needed someone to hold her hand. Harry’s uncle kept glancing around the room and shifting uncomfortably while Dudley alternated between pacing and fidgeting in his chair. 

They weren’t allowed to see Harry before the ritual began. 

Neville’s grandmother had not been surprised by this fact. Neither had she for that matter. Daphne knew more about rituals than her friends did. Her father didn’t believe in sheltering his children; in fact, he believed in the opposite. Silas Greengrass had insisted on teaching his girls everything. Every dirty little secret that most kept hidden, he told his family. Because of this decision, Daphne knew more about Goblin rituals than most adult wizards. She knew more about the loop holes in laws than Lucius Malfoy’s lawyers. If a family had secrets her father was aware of, she knew them. Life was often hard when you knew what your friends’ fathers did outside their marriage beds. 

The door to the room opened and three red heads walked into the room. “Behave. I really don’t want to get fired because you two turned every customer into one of the Village People.”

“Bill, Harry is undergoing a ritual today, this is no time for jokes.”

“George is right. Plus, we were going to save the Village People for the Halloween feast. We thought it would cheer Harry up.” Fred grinned.

“Go, save Harry.”

“We like him and really don’t want to lose him.”

“Plus, Neville and Hermione would be sad if something happened to him.” George glanced at the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

“Daphne is just scary and we don’t want to see what she is like when she loses someone close to her.” Fred shivered rather obviously.

“We would rather not find out what Ginny would do if something happened to him.”

“Yeah, you know she read those books.”

“And fell in love.”

“You done?” Bill sighed; his brother’s verbal tennis matches irritated him on a good day; this was not a good day.

“Yes.” George was often more serious than his twin. Which was made obvious by Fred’s answer.

“Not really but if you leave, we might stop.”

Bill pulled his brothers into a hug. “We know what we are doing. Goblins don’t let the unspoken hurt children.”

The tallest redhead left the room and the twins plopped down on either side of Daphne. “How are you doing little snake?”

“Is that your brother?”

“He has red hair and doesn’t want to kill us after five seconds.” George answered with a completely serious face.

“Plus, he knows us enough to know we would turn people into the Village People.” Fred grinned.

The small blond tilted her head in confusion, “Who are the Village People?”

“Muggle thing.”

“They are a music group. They have one song that everyone knows.”

“There is a dance to go with it.”

Daphne winced. She did not like the sound of a dance and the mischievous smirk on Fred’s face terrified her. “Can I be exempt from this prank?”

“I believe we can work something out.” George patted her hand. 

“Usually, our pranks are potion based so we could tell you what not to ingest.”

“I would be much obliged.”

They fell into silence. The ritual was supposed to begin at 4:52 pm. Daphne didn’t know why exactly but she knew it had to do with celestial positioning and ensuring that the time that the height of the ritual happened occurred at the optimum time of day. The Goblins paid more attention to the way the natural energies of the universe affected life when performing rituals than wizards did. There were some celestial formations that were detrimental to ritual performance. Planetary positioning could also be good for blessing crops but terrible for purification. Wizards didn’t always pay attention to that, mostly because many of them didn’t pay attention during Astronomy and the rest didn’t take Arithmancy. Because of this inattention, ritual success was hit and miss for Wizards.

The wall sconces flared then dimmed while the ground beneath their feet shook.

Fred put an arm around her shoulder while George grabbed her hand, drawing her full attention. “Our brother is a Curse Breaker and he works for Gringotts.”

“Curse Breakers are powerful in their own right, working for Gringotts means he is one of the best human ones in the world.” Fred continued. 

“He is on a team that is assigned to Egypt. His team was called back to be here for this.”

“Thank you.” She murmured, allowing herself to be comforted by the odd duo.

Hermione walked over, slid into a chair, and leaned into George. Petunia didn’t need her at that moment. She, Vernon and Dudley were huddled together for comfort. “What does all that mean?”

“Egypt has the most complicated jobs. Ancient Egyptian wizards are still considered to be the best warders and most of those ward schemes have been lost for hundreds of years. Gringotts Curse Breakers are the only ones who can get into the ancient tombs.” Daphne explained. “The twins were reassuring me that Gringotts has done everything they can to be successful in this.”

“It kind of helps.” Hermione smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes, she still looked terrified.

Neville sat on the other side of Fred. “We are an odd group aren’t we.”

“What makes you say that, Neville?”

“Well, look at us. I am completely different than the boy I was before school started. None of you would have been friends with that me. Hermione would have waved her hand into friendlessness, sorry but it’s true, and Daphne is in Slytherin.”

“He’s right.” Daphne shook her head. “I would have ended up spending most of my time with Blaise and Tracy. Don’t get me wrong, Tracy isn’t bad, she just follows Pansy’s orders because she is considered a half blood because her grandmother was a muggleborn, which means she keeps her head down and doesn’t have her own opinions. Draco probably would have been insufferable and I would have been even more emotionless at school.”

“I have been friendless before for trying to prove I was smart enough.” Hermione agreed. “I never understood the balance or that there even needed to be balance. Harry showed me that. I could see what he meant because he understood my reasons.”

“Do we have to talk like this?” Fred wondered.

“It is rather depressing,” George couldn’t help but agree.

“Harry wouldn’t like this.”

“He would try to make us laugh.”

The twins stopped when the stone shook again. Perhaps they weren’t that great at reassuring their friends after all. “But I think he would have had a hard time due to the fact that the building keeps shaking.” George grimaced. 

“It just means there is a lot of magical buildup. The buildup has to go somewhere and the Goblins have strong ties to the earth and stone. They would naturally let the excess magic bleed into the stone.”

“Really, Daphne?” Hermione asked with interest. Learning always helped distract her.

“Well, maybe. Yes, the Goblins have a lot of earth-based magic but I have no idea if that is really excess magic. It just sounded good and made me feel better.”

All the lights in the building, both above and below ground, cut out at that moment. The room fell into silence. 

They waited. 

The wait was horribly tense.

The lights slowly started to glow again. 

Time past but they remained silent. No one wanted to be the one to break the silence because all feared that whatever they might say would only make the wait worse.

The door to the room opened.

**Ritual Room**

Bill surveyed the room. He hoped they had done enough. 

Gringotts Goblins performed rituals often enough that they had ritual rooms prepared and serviced on a regular basis. As such, ritual circles were carved into the very stone for the most common or important rituals. This particular ritual did have a prepared room but they chose not to use it for this case. Normally, they were removing the soul anchor, the Horcrux, from an inanimate object of importance, but not this time. Master Longclaw, head of Curse Breaking, had decided that because they were removing the parasitic soul from a living being, a child, that they would prepare a new circle with added protective runes. It had taken them nearly the entire five days to prepare the room for the ritual.

Bill and the rest of the Curse Breakers recalled from Egypt meticulously carved the runes into the stone floor. Once that was complete, they set up the pillars that would hold the representations of the five elements used in all rituals. Each pillar was brand new and carved with additional protective runes. Everything in the room was newly constructed and placed specifically; everything in the room was layered with added protections, both carved and cast, meant to increase their chances of successfully saving a child’s life. 

He watched as Remus Lupin carried young Harry Potter to the stone table. The table was covered in runes and centered in a pentagram inside the ritual rune circle. The scared and tired man laid Harry carefully on the table before stepping into the spot Master Longclaw directed him to. Remus would stand as Harry’s anchor. Their magic was tied so that if something went wrong, Harry’s magic would know where it was safe to return to. 

Master Orcrest stood in the corner, watching everything and ensuring everything happened on time. He would watch and record this event for dexterities sake. He barked an order in the Goblins rough language causing everyone to rush to their positions. Fifteen Curse Breakers stood around the circle, thirteen Goblins and two humans. The time had arrived. 

**“A call to the Earth,”** Curse Breaker Brayclaw began in their ancient language. **“To mountain and cave, destruction and shield.”** He paced the representation of the earth element, a sphere of marble, carved with runes, onto the pedestal. Green light flashed as the sphere slid into place. A second sphere was handed to him by one of the others surrounding the ritual circle.

 **“A call to Water. To rivers and oceans, to obscurity and clarity.”** Mirgorn, one of the Curse Breakers called back from Egypt, continued the chant. He poured water from the Sacred Oasis of the Forgotten into the rune protected basin atop the pillar in front of him; the runes flashed sapphire when the low bowl was filled. Half the sacred water remained within the equally protected bowl held in his scared hands.

 **“A call to Air. To gust and gale, peace and war.”** Master Warnol grunted in the Goblin tongue. A snap of his fingers caused a whirlwind of air, the breath of life, appeared atop the air pillar and caused the runes to glow pale yellow. A second snap brought a second cyclone to appear in his extended hands.

Master Ashlock’s graveled voice rose up next. **“A call to Fire. To flash and flare, death and rebirth.”** With a hiss, a contained spire of hell fire shot up from both his hands and the center of the pillar at the center of his focus. As with any fire, the runes flared red.

 **“A call to the Spirit.”** Master Longclaw spoke with utmost calm and iron strength. **“To the mind and soul, to chance and possibility.”** The final representation was placed upon the pillar. This was the one that had taken the longest to determine. In the end, they decided to use the Potter and Peverell Talismans. All old families had a talisman. The Talisman was tied to the family and carried a piece of every Family Head that carried it. The Peverell Talisman was placed atop the spirit pillar while the Potter Talisman stayed in his free hand. White light encased the pillar of spirit.

The words they had spoken were important. Goblins were a warrior race. Each element was both friend and enemy. There was on good or evil in the natural order of things so they could not honor only the possibility of light. So, fire was both death and rebirth; air was war and peace. The only element they could limit to only that which is desired is the spirit. In its natural state, the spirit was pure and innocent. Only the actions of sentient beings would taint the light of the spirit. They were righting a wrong so there was no place for a tainted elemental spirit.

Bill and the other nine that would hold the circle took a single step forward so that the toes of their specialized boots touched the outer edge of the runic circle. Their hands held at shoulder level, palms toward the center. As one, they began to chant a spell whose translation was either lost or kept secret from all but the Goblin Elders; their palms began to glow a pearlescent white.

The five casters stepped into the circle; their steps perfectly in time. Each walked toward one of the points of the pentagram carved into the room’s floor. 

**“These we offer. Stone of earth, waters of the Forgotten, the winds of life, Flame of chance, and that which is sacred.”** The Curse Breakers placed their representation of the elements directly on the point of the star. And then the real fight began.

They chanted in turns; no pause between lines due to change of speaker. Bill knew and yet didn’t know what they said. He had studied the ritual, it was a requirement for his position, but had never performed it. Horcruxes were rare. Few were prepared due to the consequences, fewer still had the ruthlessness to actually complete the requirements of creation. He would have loved to watch but he could not; maintaining the circle was too important. 

He felt the changed both internally and externally. The darkness was fighting back, causing the room to shake. Unseen, the magic emanating from Harry Potter’s scar pulsed with rage. It pushed against the pentagram, against the containment circle. It was immense. So much power lived within that scar, within that soul anchor. Bill focused on the boy lying on that table. They could not fail.

Harry Potter did not appear to be affected, not yet at least. He lay still, his breathing even and easy. Perhaps the magic that encased the Horcrux would continue to protect him. 

Smoke began to rise from his scar, oily and sickly black. It seeped and steamed, fighting their attack, attempting to latch onto the boy who had housed it for ten years. A golden light sprouted from his scar, spreading out laying itself between the boy and the darkness. 

The Goblins chanted.

The smoke coiled in anger.

The gold stretch, encasing the boy in light.

Their voices rose. The Goblin Masters were all but shouting their spell. Magic pulsed throughout the circle, pushing against the containment, seeking escape. With every push against the edge an iridescent silver shield became visible to those watching and fighting. With every push the ground shook. 

And still Harry Potter lay still and calm in sleep.

The black smoky substance continued to collect above Harry’s scar, pushed from the boy by the ritual spell and the golden shield. Finally, the trail of darkness began to thin as it left the scar until there was no darkness covering the eleven-year-old boy. A massive cloud of rage and hate swirled above the golden shield. 

Their chant changed. They no longer worked to expel; now they needed to contain. 

Master Longclaw pulled the ampule from his pocket without breaking his concentration. It began to float toward the darkness. Sparks flew from the darkness, attempting to attack the container. It would not work. The ampule was meant of this purpose; it was protected against such things and was protected against the evils of man.

He nearly had to close his eyes due to the intense brightness created from the fight before him. The ampule and darkness were connected; the darkness surrounded the container and was being sucked inside despite its efforts to prevent it. 

The room was bathed in blinding white light and encased in the roaring chants of the Curse Breakers; it was overwhelming. 

And then there was silence. 

There was darkness.

The only sound Bill could hear was the labored breathing of everyone who participated in the ritual. He could feel the excess magic crackling around him. He felt both rejuvenated and exhausted. 

Harry. Was Harry alright. 

Before he could move, he heard Master Longclaw begin to chant. He had to close the circle, to release the magic. As hard as it was, he stood frozen in place, not breaking the circle.

Light returned when Master Longclaw finished his chant. The earthly elements had vanished, the only representations that remained were the two Talismans representing Harry’s ancestors. If he tested them, he knew that a spirit from each line had sacrificed itself to protect their heir. The eternal had blessed this ritual. 

He knew without looking that Harry would be fine. 

**Gringotts – Waiting Room**

They froze, one and all, when the door opened. Fred and George flew to their feet first upon seeing their brother. “Is he?

“Can we?”

Bill smiled, “Why don’t you ask him yourself, after he sees his family of course.”

Harry stepped out from behind Bill, Remus trailing behind him.

Petunia flew to her feet rushing across the room. You could see the relieved tears shining in her eyes. She engulfed him in her arms, squeezing as if to ensure he was real. 

“I’m fine, aunt Petunia. I didn’t feel a thing and I didn’t even know they had finished when I woke up.”

She pulled back slightly, “You’re not in any pain?”

“Nope. I honestly didn’t feel any pain; I just took a magically induced nap. When I woke up, they said the darkness had been removed and disposed of.”

Dudley had made it to his mother and cousin. “Glad you’re okay, Harry.” He patted his cousin’s back and would have backed up but his mother pulled him into the hug too. “Mom…” He moaned.

“Quiet. I need both of my boys for a second.” Petunia burrowed into the two and let the shakes that had plagued her subside. The two boys shared and understanding look over the woman’s shoulders. 

When she let go, Vernon put a hand on Harry’s shoulder and nodded. His way of saying he was glad Harry was okay. Vernon would never be a touchy-feely man but Harry was okay with that.

Daphne was the first to reach him when he was released from his aunt, a fact that surprised Harry. She threw her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder. He looked down at her as he wrapped his arms around her reflexively. “I’m just fine, Daphne. There is nothing wrong.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I am very familiar with what can go wrong in rituals and my mind kept picturing the worst possible scenarios. I am not usually this pessimistic but I couldn’t help it.”

Hermione joined the hug, patting Daphne’s back in comfort. “We are glad you are alright, Harry. The room started shaking and the lights went out. It was rather scary. We knew it had to have something to do with the ritual so we all started thinking the worst.”

“Yeah, they told me about the power involved. The darkness apparently put up a fight. I didn’t feel anything because I was shielded. When things started to go wrong, a golden shield surrounded me; it started forming from my scar and kept growing until it covered me completely. Master Longclaw thought it was leftover protection from whatever my mother did all those years ago.”

Remus smiled, watching Harry with those most important to him. He was elated with how things turned out. Fear had been his companion for years. Harry’s safety and happiness were extremely important to him and his pessimistic nature had convinced him that his nephew had grown up lonely and abused. Nothing made him happier than seeing he had been wrong. “If there was anyone in the world who could protect their child long after they were gone, it would be your mother. Lily Potter was the best of us and she continues to prove it a decade later.”

**DMLE**

He was in sad shape. There was almost nothing recognizable about the man she had once known. They were never close; she was his superior during that time and he was young and fairly immature then but his trainers had liked him. Good instincts. That is what they had said. Sirius Black had good instincts and a will of steel. 

He had been attractive, something she could admit while staring at a picture from years ago. Confident and fit. His eyes had gleamed with mischief and kindness. Now, he was a shadow of that man. He was severely underweight, his hair unkempt, and his skin nearly transparent. The only thing that even remotely resemble the healthier, younger man, were his eyes. They may be devoid of joy or mischief but they were still that same stunning, intelligent gray. If all she saw was his eyes, she would not think he had spent the last decade being tortured.

Considering what he had looked like when Shack had brought him in, he looked alright. They had gotten him cleaned up and had a healer she trusted come take a look at him. The healer had reported that he was malnourished, not surprising considering what they residence of Azkaban prison were fed. She could see each and every bone in his body clearly. His teeth were rotten, he had fleas, he had bed sores. The healer was surprised he wasn’t ill. 

Sirius was now taking numerous potions designed to aid in his rehabilitation. Nutrient options, strengthening potions, potions to help his teeth and help him sleep. She needed him healthy enough to stand trial so she could set him free with no fear of reprisal.

“Hello, Mister Black.” Amelia spoke softly. He was a bit jumpy, not surprising considering this must all seem alien to him. He was studying her intently. It amazed her that he was still this controlled. She had spoken to individuals who had spent only weeks in that hell hole who were in less control of their facilities than him. “I don’t know if you remember me, but I am Amelia Bones. I am the current Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.”

“Remember who you are.” He wheezed. The doctors said that talking would probably be difficult for a while. Sirius had not used his voice much in the last decade. “Hope you don’t end up like Crouch.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Power mad. Thought he was infallible. No need for trials when he knew what was what.”

“I respect the law, Mister Black. If I didn’t the man who trained me would hex me.”

“Can always count on Moody for that.” He almost smiled. “Sirius.” 

She nodded, understanding his request. “Alright, Sirius. Has anyone discussed why you are here?”

“Not really. Shack just said new information concerning my case was brought to light, which is odd because I don’t remember there being much investigation into my case.”

Amelia nodded solemnly. “I will start from the beginning then. A highly respected member of our community brought a legal document to me that indicated that everything we had been led to believe about you and the events of Halloween 1981 were false. Upon reading this document, I searched the records. What I found was that there was no investigation to research.” She pulled out a file and dropped it on the table. She pulled a tiny stack of papers from the file. “This is your case file.”

“Looks thin to me. My least favorite part of the job was the paperwork. I had to submit more pages then that before we could take someone to trial.”

“You are correct. I am thoroughly disgusted by the fact that nearly all procedures were ignored in this case. Only one individual at that scene did as they were supposed to, however, that one person did not follow up with the lead investigator, which angers me more than I can say.”

Sirius didn’t know how to respond to that. Her anger was evident. “My wand?” he asked instead of commenting.

“I pulled it from evidence when I found no record of anyone testing it.” She placed another stack of papers on the table. “I decided to test it myself. I am sure you know what I found.”

“Can’t remember the exact spells, been too long and Dementors kill the memory. I can remember the night clearly but the little details like spell choice are missing. I know I was tracking the rat. I would have used a number of tracking charms,” he scratched his head, his thin fingers running through his now clean and shortened hair. “I might have cast a shield. He cast a blasting hex, never could cast silently, so I would have shielded.”

“That is what the scan revealed. I would like to hear what happened in your words, as best as you can remember.”

“Do you want me to take Veritaserum? I will if that is what you want.”

“You are on too many potions right now. The healer forbade any additional potions. I have an idea as to what happened, if I don’t believe you, I can always get the truth with the potion later.” His willingness to take the truth potion substantiated her belief that he was innocent.

Sirius nodded slowly. “Alright. I guess I will start from the beginning then.” He took a deep breath and leaned into the table. “James Potter was my best friend; more than that, he was my brother. I was his best man at his wedding and the godfather to his son.” A small smile crossed his sallow face. “We were informed that Voldemort was after them. Dumbledore wouldn’t tell me why and tried not to tell James and Lily but they wore him down. He told them, then they told me. There is or was a prophecy saying that someone was coming who could beat old Voldie.” 

He shrugged off-handedly, “I don’t really put much stock in Divination and neither did Lily but James had met a true seer when he was young so he believed. They were never told the full thing but part of it was about being born as the seventh month dies, or the end of July. Dumbledore assumed that meant someone born recently so it could apply to two kids that he was aware of, Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom. There was something else that made other kids ineligible but I don’t know what it was.”

“Did Dumbledore know the entire prophecy?”

“As far as I know he did,” Sirius nodded. “He urged them to go into hiding, so both couples took their kids and hid away in family homes. Frank and Alice stayed at Longbottom manor, while James and Lily moved to the cottage at Godric’s Hollow. Both were encouraged to use the Fidelius Charm, so they did. Augusta was the Secret Keeper for her son and we told everyone I was the Secret Keeper for the Potters.”

“You ‘told’ everyone you were the Secret Keeper?” Amelia wanted his exact wording and explanations despite having read Lily Potter’s will. His emphasis on them telling everyone he was the Secret Keeper was significant. 

“It was my fault in the end. I knew I would never let anyone know where they were but I was too obvious a choice. Everyone knew how close James and I were. I suggested that we tell everyone we knew I was the Secret Keeper but we should choose someone else to be the real one. Things were falling apart at the time and we knew there was a spy so we didn’t really trust anyone. We would have chosen Remus Lupin, another good friend, but he was away at the time so we chose Peter Pettigrew.” He signed, “It didn’t seem like a terrible idea. Who would suspect Peter? He wasn’t powerful and he was forgettable, so that’s what we did.”

“Who cast the Fidelius?”

“I did. It was more secure if only the four of us knew.”

“What happened that night?”

“I knew something was wrong. I could feel it in my bones so I went to check on Pettigrew. He wasn’t at home or any of his usual hang-outs. Fearing the worst, I went to Godric’s Hollow.” He sucked in a miserable sob. “James was lying on the floor in front of the stairs. Lifeless eyes staring and not a scratch on him. The house was a mess. He knew how to duel and was extremely skilled at dueling with transfiguration but it didn’t help. Hearing Harry crying, I ran up the stairs. He was in the crib; the roof was all but gone and Lily was on the floor in front of him. He was reaching for her with his little hands, calling for his mum.”

He broke down but tried not to. Silent sobs racked his abused body. It was obvious to her that he would never harm a hair on any of the Potter heads and yet he was thought to have killed James and Lily. Everyone thought he wanted his godson dead.

“Sorry.” He sniffed after composing himself. “I have never talked about this. I try not to think about that part of the whole thing. It hurts too much.”

“Continue when you are ready.”

“I picked Harry up,” he finally whispered. “I buried his face in my neck so he couldn’t see her anymore. No kid should ever have to see that. I took him out of his room and into theirs so I could check him over for injuries. I tried to heal this odd cut on his head but it was resistant. I figured I would take him to a healer once I got him out of there. He was alright other than that. There was a noise downstairs,” he frowned, focusing on the memory of that night. “I got up, still holding him and peaked down the stairs. Hagrid was there so I relaxed.”

“That is Rubeus Hagrid?”

“Yeah. He said something about needing Harry. Dumbledore had asked him to get Harry. How did he know that Harry was alive?” Sirius asked himself, not really noticing Amelia’s own confusion about that detail. “The house was empty when I got there. No one should have been aware that Harry was alone and they were dead. It doesn’t make any sense.”

It was a good question. How did Albus-to many names-Dumbledore know that the Potters were dead and Harry was alive? Amelia made a note to look into that and waited for Sirius to continue.

“I tried to tell him we were fine. I was his godfather so I was going to take him home with me and get him looked at but Hagrid was insistent. He started to get a bit angry, which, when Dumbledore’s orders are involved means you can’t stand in his way, so I let him take Harry. Hagrid, being who he is, didn’t have any transportation so I let him take my motorcycle; I figured it would be safer and fewer Death Eaters would see him as they don’t travel the muggle way.”

Sirius looked down at the table. He seemed to shrink into himself. “That is when I stopped thinking clearly. Instead of following, which I could, and should have, because James had not one but three brooms in that house, I went after Peter. I tracked him using every trick I had. Eventually, I cornered him on a muggle street. It was Peter Pettigrew so I didn’t prepare how I normally would for a Death Eater. He started screaming how I betrayed them. I killed Lily and James, but it was him. He smirked at me. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know he could smirk like that. He shouted a blasting curse and then he transformed into his animagus form and ran down the sewer while the street blew up.”

“Peter Pettigrew is an animagus?”

Sirius Black nodded. “Yes. James, Peter and I became animagus in school. James was a stag, I am a black dog, and Peter is a brown rat.”

“I would like a full description or a look at a memory of him in that form.”

“Sure, a memory might be better. I may have forgotten a lot of details about everyday things but I remember him clearly. The only difference would be a missing toe on a foreleg. I remember hearing them say all that was left was a finger which is ridiculous. If I blew him up there should have been pieces everywhere.” He scowled. “That is about all I remember after the explosion. I know I cried, I might have started laughing because I was outsmarted by Peter and that had never happened before. It is all a blur.”

That corresponded with Moody’s suggestion that he was in shock. “I think that is enough for now. You look like you are having trouble sitting up right now. I will be back to speak with you again.”

“How is Harry?”

The desperation in his voice made her stop. “My niece tells me he is a great student and a really nice boy. Augusta Longbottom adores him. I haven’t met him myself, but rumor is he is well and happy.”

She saw tears form in his eyes. “Thank you.”

The door opened before she could knock. Shack was standing there; Rufus was right behind him. The younger man nodded and headed into the room to help the thin man to his cell. She wished he was going to a room instead of a cell. 

“It is as you said.” Rufus frowned. 

“So, you believe him?”

“It matches the Will and the wand. His story makes more sense, in the long run, than the ones on file. He is right about the result of a body blowing up. There were pieces of the muggles everywhere. The finger was too pristine to have been blasted off in an explosion. The whole thing stinks of a cover up to me.” He snarled. Rufus hated the idea of a cover up. “I want to talk to Dumbledore about the prophecy but doubt he will share so I might just walk down to the Department of Mysteries and see if they have one on file that concerns, He Who Must Not Be Named.”

“Use his name, Rufus. If law enforcement officials won’t use it then he, and those like him, have won before we can even begin to fight them.” She watched as Kingsley and Sirius slowly walked past. “Go to the Department of Mysteries. It would be nice to know if the prophecy exists or not. If it does, we can figure out what to do with it. It could have been fulfilled or it could still be active. If there is no prophecy, then we know the Dumbledore was playing games with lives.”

He didn’t want to comment on the possibility that the prophecy might still be active. He focused of Dumbledore instead, “You don’t trust him?”

“I don’t know if I can. The story I just heard threw up a number of warnings and most of them centered on the man.”

“What about Crouch?”

“I will deal with him personally.”

“Take someone with you.”

“Worried about me?” she smirked.

“Crouch is a powerful enemy. You are a better Head than he was and I don’t want him to destroy your career.”

“I’ll take Shack and Moody.”

“Moody?” He understood taking Shacklebolt, he was perhaps the best in the department and one of the few Amelia was impressed with. Moody was mostly retired, he just trained the new recruits now, and was paranoid beyond belief. 

“I talked to him about Sirius Black’s case and he started throwing curses, verbal and magical. He was informed that Crouch and Rivers were taking the case. He thought, and I would have agreed at the time, that that meant everything was in hand. The fact that there was no investigation whatsoever is an insult and he is taking it very personally.”

“I would say I pity Crouch, but he deserves whatever Moody does to him.”

“I fear there are a great many people who deserve much worse than they got. We need to fix this Rufus. I can’t let that type of darkness return. We barely survived last time and we are in worse shape now.”

“We will fix this. We don’t have any other choice.” 

And he was right. If they didn’t fix what had been broken in their society of far too long, then they would fall. The darkness would return. Fear would regain control. They would lose.


	16. A Sirius Problem

**Gringotts**

Remus stepped from the waiting room to speak with the Potter Account Manager, Master Narvog. 

“What can I do for you, Mister Lupin?” the Goblin asked.

“I have some concerns about something surrounding your client.” Remus didn’t want to sound like he was attempting to get information from the account, he wasn’t authorized to access the account so the Goblin would see his fishing as a major insult, if not a criminal act. “I have been trying to send Harry mail since he turned five. He has not received a single one of the letters I have sent him. I tried to send him a few letters every year until Hogwarts. Once he started Hogwarts, I tried earlier and more often. Even after meeting him I have been unable to send him letters. They all come back unopened and considered undeliverable. The only reason he has gotten my letters recently is because I have been sending them to his friends who then pass them along with their own correspondence.”

The Goblin frowned; this was odd. For the boy to not be able to receive mail from someone he knew was concerning to say the least. Harry Potter, a boy famous to more than just wizards, not receiving mail from the masses was expected but to not receive mail from people he considered friends and family was wrong. “Do you know of anyone else effected by this issue?”

Remus nodded. “When I got back into town recently, I contacted some of his parents’ old friends. James’ casual friends didn’t send letters but a few of Lily’s did and they never got a reply. Their letters did not return the way mine did though.”

“Interesting,” the Goblin mused. “I am going to speak to Master Longclaw of Curse Breaking. Follow.” The Goblin led Remus down a series of stone hallways. Remus wondered if all of Gringotts underground looked like that. 

When they arrived at their destination, the younger Goblin who lead the ritual to cleanse Harry of the darkness in his scar sat at a large ornate desk. “What can I do for you, Master Narvog?” The Goblin spoke without looking up from his paper work.

“I have a question about my client.”

“What would you like to know about Mister Potter?” the Goblin did not need to ask which client; Potter was the only one he had any connection to.

“Did you detect any mail wards on the boy? Mister Lupin claims to have sent dozens of letters to the boy but none were delivered. Each was returned to him and he is still unable to send mail to the boy. He claims he has to send the letters to the boy’s friends to get them to him.”

“There are several mail wards on the boy. I actually planned to speak with both you and the boy before he left. He is supposed to meet with Healer Dravor in half an hour.” He scratched his head. “One of the wards makes sense. All of his fan mail is delivered to a secondary place. Someone opened a vault here for the purpose of holding his mail. The ward against malicious intent also makes sense in a way. The only problem I have is that the ward does not notify the authorities, which would be the legal course in such instances, it just dumps the mail in a secondary storage vault.

“There are several personal wards around the boy that just block specific senders. I assume Mister Lupin is one of those blocks. Tell me, Master Narvog, has Mister Potter been receiving his account statements?”

“I would hope so, Master Longclaw. To interfere with Gringotts official mail is a penalty under the treaties and would see the instigator in the dragon pens for the remainder of their existence.”

“I would ask him, Master Narvog. There is a strange ward that is quite clever. It has mail from certain senders redirected to his magical guardian. This, in and of itself, is not unlawful but the magical guardian part has also been redirected. Mister Potter’s Magical guardian is not currently able to take his place due to being thrown into prison without a trial, so who is this mail going to?”

“You have obviously been researching this so you know the answer. Why don’t you just tell me, Longclaw?”

“Very well, but I have one more question. Is Albus Dumbledore taking money from any of the Potter vaults?”

Master Narvog snarled. “Are you saying that the thief is also taking the boy’s official mail?”

“Yes I am. I plan to remove all the wards but wished to discuss how he wanted to handle the fan mail. He doesn’t receive much throughout the year. There is an influx of mail sent on his birthday, the anniversary of his parents’ deaths and over the Yule Holiday. I would suggest having him rent a room here for his mail to be sorted and reviewed by one of the trainees or an elf. Anything with dangerous or harmful properties would be forwarded to the DMLE, as is procedure, and the rest he could deal with once it had been catalogued. The specific wards should be reviewed and either removed or replaced depending on their purpose.”

“It seems you have everything in hand, Master Longclaw. Is there a reason you always insist on doing things this way?”

“I find it much more amusing this way.” 

“I’m sorry to interject, Master Goblins,” Remus coughed, “but did you say Harry’s magical guardian was thrown in prison without a trial? That was true?”

“Yes, Mister Lupin. You were there when we read the Will, you know Sirius Black did not betray the Potters. Our Research into the incident showed that Sirius Black was never charged, let alone put on trial. We actually have a source that says that Black is being held in the secure holding sells at the order of Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Our source says he will get his day in court at the next Wizengamot session, at which point he should be freed and paid a hefty sum for having his rights taken from him.”

“He’s out of Azkaban?” 

“That is what our information tells us.” The head of the Potter Accounts smiled. He liked the werewolf. “I think we should go meet Mister Potter at the Healer’s Hall. Once we have dealt with Mister Potter’s issues, you will be free to assuage your own guilt.”

**Gringotts Vaults**

Harry stood, staring in both wonder and surprise at the vault filled with letters and packages. Each and every piece of mail in the room was addressed to him. There was no organization or sense of order within the vault and that made it even more overwhelming. 

“This is all my mail?” Harry asked his account manager.

“Yes, Mister Potter.” He pulled out a roll of parchment, “the vault was opened on your behalf by Albus Dumbledore to house your mail until such a time that you would be able to deal with it, though there does not appear to be any time listed as to when that might be so as your account manager I am opening it to you now. Many children of wizarding families are given access to personal accounts and vaults at eleven so I have no problem allowing you to access this. There is little you could do to endanger yourself or your fortune by opening mail.”

“How do I even begin to sort through this?”

“We have a few options,” the Goblin answered. “For a price, we can lend you the assistance of a few Goblins in training. They have yet to attain clearance to work in any field and are generally at the disposal of every department. For a lesser price, I could rent a room to you for the purpose of sorting and replying to the mail. Lastly, you could just empty the vault and deal with it without the aid of Gringotts; this of course, would be free.”

“What do you think, Remus?” Harry asked with slightly wide eyes.

“Either of the first two options would be best for you. How long would it take for the Goblins to sort through this? How detailed would the search be?”

Master Narvog nodded in appreciation, it was an intelligent inquiry. “For the right price, I could have a team of five completely organize this amount of mail in approximately three or four weeks. In that time, they would sort the mail by date and content. You would know who sent what and when. If anything was sent with malicious intent or contents, we would present it to the ministry using one of our human employees. We could negotiate the price of this service.”

Harry bit his lip. That seemed simplest to him. He didn’t want to take advantage of anyone’s kindness, which he feared he would do using the second option. “I think, at least until I get caught up on my mail, that I would like to employ the Goblins of Gringotts. Take whatever you think is best to pay the Goblins who do the work.”

The Goblin wanted to smile. This was an honorable young man. “For that, Mister Potter, I can have them complete this much sooner. Any time a human trusts a Goblin to name a price with no argument is a time to celebrate. You have made many friends today.”

“That was not my intention, Master Narvog. I simply do not know what such a task should pay and I don’t want to take advantage of anyone by trying to haggle. Workers should be paid fairly for their time.”

“I will see it done, Mister Potter. Is there anything you would like me to instruct the team to do?”

“If there are gifts, like toys or children’s books, send them to an orphanage or something. I would also like to send a letter to everyone who wrote to me, thanking them and apologizing for not answering. I will speak with my friends about how I should word that and send a copy. If there are personal things, like stories of my parents, I want the letters kept separate and I will see what I should write in reply.” He looked at Remus, “anything else?”

“If there is a gift that ends up donated, make sure to write a note thanking the person and telling them you did donate their gift for those less fortunate.”

Harry nodded, “That too. Please send me word when everything is sorted and I will bring the return letter for the general reply.”

“Of course, Mister Potter. We will keep you appraised.”

**Gringotts – Curse Breaking Offices**

Master Longclaw studied the men and Goblins he had called to his office. He had called in Ashlock’s crew. Master Ashlock worked better with humans than most Curse Breaking Heads. He had the two humans they used in the cleansing ritual on his team; Joshua Linwood and William Weasley. It was the humans he was most interested in meeting with at that moment.

“Welcome, Curse Breakers. I would like to thank you for the work you did not the ritual to cleanse a Horcrux from the child. I have since worked with Lord Ragnok on creating a tracer using the contained Horcrux to find any additional abominations.” The young Goblin Head pulled out a pair of disks and placed them on his desk. We have detected five others, meaning he created six anchors.” There were snarls from the Goblins, swearing from the humans. “One has since been destroyed as it was placed in one of the vaults.”

“Which family has lost their wealth?” Ashlock growled with greed and anger.

“The Lestrange family is now the poorest pureblood family in the wizarding world, surpassing even the disgraced Gaunt family before their fall.” The group nodded in satisfaction. They had gained a substantial fortune in that search and seizure.

“Do we have approximations on where the others are located?” young Weasley asked. 

“A good question, Curse Breaker Weasley. They are spread out around the island. Two of the abominations are in highly warded homes of pureblood families; we will have to plan to find those. One appears to be in Scotland, near or in the school. The last, we can get easily. There are no homes in the immediate area and though the shack is warded, we can break those wards. Master Ashlock, your team will retrieve the Horcrux located in Little Haggleton within the next twenty-four hours.” Longclaw picked up the disks and handed them to the human members of the team. “If the others move from their current homes and are near, these will heat. I would like you to carry them with you everywhere.”

Both humans took their disks without question. They knew the importance of finding the remaining Horcruxes.

“Now, Ashlock, lay out your plan.”

**Ministry of Magic**

Harry Potter looked around curiously. They were in a court room, filled with witches and wizards, many of whom wore maroon robes, like a uniform, Neville’s gran included. She had taken them to the Ministry because there was a Wizengamot meeting. 

Normally, civilians were not welcome to sit in on a Wizengamot meeting. Today was anything but normal. During the first few minutes, Augusta Longbottom had called for a trial for the Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Her request had caused an uproar. 

Lords of houses old and older had demanded to know her reasoning. When informed that there was no trial, they asked for proof. Some had demanded to know how she came by this information; Amelia Bones claiming substantial evidence was enough to appease them. Learning all this, the majority of the Wizengamot had demanded an immediate trial. Dumbledore had tried to deflect this by saying it would take time to remove the incarcerated man from Azkaban so the trial would have to wait for the next session. Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE, had been ready for that. She had gleefully informed the judicial body that Sirius Black was awaiting trial in the Ministry holding cells.

Now, after a twenty-minute recess, Harry, Neville, Daphne and Hermione sat in the public seating area waiting for the court to be called back into session. 

“Let us return to the seventh session of the Wizengamot, held this Thursday the ninth of July, 1992.” The wizard sitting under Dumbledore’s seat called, causing the members to take their seats. “Would the Aurors please bring in the prisoner, Sirius Black, so that this body may determine his guilt or innocence.”

A dark skinned Auror led Sirius Black into the court room and led him to a chair decorated in chains. When he sat, the chains rattled and started to wrap around him but the Auror flicked his wand and they settled. Black looked as though he had been gravely ill for years. He was pale, thin and walked as though he was not sure he could keep his feet. When he sat, he sagged with relief and exhaustion. His clothes hung from his frame and his hair, though clean, lay heavily on his shoulders. 

Harry focused his attention on the man who was his godfather. His friends focused on everything else. Daphne, he knew would be watching the Headmaster and the Minister. Neville would be watching the left side of the Wizengamot while Hermione watched the right. They needed to know how the assembled body would lean. 

“Madam Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, have you prepared a case?”

The woman stood from her seat near the Headmaster, who was also the Chief Warlock, “I have. If the court will allow it, I would like to question the suspect under Veritaserum.”

“I see no need,” Dumbledore started only to be interrupted by a slightly younger man in maroon.

“I will second the request for Veritaserum.” His voice carried over the murmurs. “With the length of time between the crimes he was accused and this trial, Veritaserum is the only way to guarantee truth.”

Neville’s grandmother stood next, “Lord Ogden is correct. If we wish to learn the truth, we must use the only method that ensures the accused tells nothing but truth.”

“I call a vote,” a third man requested.

“That is Winston Nott, Head of the Nott family and Theodore Nott’s grandfather. His son was killed in the last conflict so he is raising Theo.” Daphne whispered to her friends. “The first man was Tiberius Ogden; he is the most respected member of this body. He is one of the few who will stand against the headmaster.”

As she spoke, the sea of maroon robed individuals voted. If Harry counted correctly, then they would be using the truth serum. Dumbledore did not look happy.

“The use of Veritaserum is approved by the Wizengamot. Does the Heir of the House of Black have any objection?”

Sirius looked up from his lap and stared directly into the headmaster’s eyes. “I would have requested it.”

The scribe stood, “Would the Auror please administer three drops of Veritaserum.”

Madam Bones made her way to the floor as her Auror placed the potion on Black’s tongue. She waited a few moments before beginning. “What is your full name?”

“Sirius Orion Black, Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black,” Sirius replied in a monotone voice, his eyes dull and unseeing.

“When were you born?”

“November third, 1959.”

“What are the names of your parents?”

“Orion and Walburga Black, both of the House of Black.”

“Let the record show that the Veritaserum is working.” Madam Bones spoke to the scribe. “Mister Black,” she continued her questioning, “Are you now, or were you ever, a follower of the individual known as Lord Voldemort.”

There were some shrieks when His name was said but Sirius still answered with no emotion, “No.”

“Auror Shacklebolt, please show the court the left forearm of Mister Black?”

The dark skinned Auror pushed the sleeve of Black’s robe back to reveal a blank arm. There was no Dark Mark painted on his skin. Many were surprised by the reply and lack of tattoo.

“Were you the Potter’s secret keeper?”

“No,” Black again replied.

“Who was the secret keeper?”

“Peter Pettigrew.”

“Madam Bones, are you sure the Veritaserum is working?” Dumbledore asked nicely enough but his eyes showed his rage. “I was personally told that Black was the secret keeper by James Potter.”

“Chief Warlock, will you allow me to continue the questioning? I can ask the suspect if I am allowed to continue and perhaps answer your questions.” Madam Bones sounded irritated. “I also have evidence to present to the court that may explain that.”

Dumbledore attempted to appear interested but Daphne thought he looked concerned instead. “Continue, Madam. I apologize for the interruption.”

The Head of the DMLE nodded to the older man before turning back to the man she was questioning. “Mister Black, would you please explain, to the best of your ability, how Mister Pettigrew became the Potter’s secret keeper.”

“Dumbledore suggested the use of the Fidelius Charm to secret James’s family away because they were being targeted. We all agreed as there were spies within our group and no one knew who to trust. We discussed who should be the secret keeper, I offered but we agreed I was an obvious choice. I didn’t care, I would have died before betraying my best friend. We still thought there was a better option. I wanted to use our other friend, Remus Lupin but he was away, on assignment for Dumbledore when we were going to cast the spell so we decided on Peter. In the end, James and I thought Peter was an even more clever choice because no one would suspect Peter. He was not particularly talented and was forgotten by many. I cast the spell with Peter Pettigrew as the secret keeper.”

“Does anyone have any other questions regarding who and how the secret keeper was chosen?” Madam Bones asked the assembled body. When she got no reply, she continued. “I would like to present an additional piece of evidence to corroborate Mister Black’s statement. I was presented with the Wills of both Lily and James Potter…”

“I object,” Dumbledore did not sound so calm anymore. “Those Wills were sealed and to unseal them is a punishable offense.”

Madam Bones was not cowed by the Chief Warlock’s outburst. “While that may be true, these Wills were not obtained through Ministry channels. The Wills were obtained by the Heir of House Potter when he was in contact with his Gringotts Account Manager. Wills cannot be withheld from the Heir of a Noble House and the Goblins of Gringotts are not restricted by Ministerial seals; if an account holder of proper age and standing asks for any familial Wills they must present them. What the account holder does with the Will or Wills once they are presented is up to them.” She glared the Chief Warlock down. “The Heir of House Potter allowed a member of this body to bring a copy of his mother’s Will to the DMLE when she requested it.”

“Who brought a sealed Will to the DMLE.”

Augusta Longbottom stood, rage apparent on her face, “I, Augusta Longbottom, Regent of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom, was present when Heir Potter requested the Wills of his parents. When they were read, I was appalled by the implications. Do you deny my right to present a legally obtained Will to the DMLE, Chief Warlock?”

Dumbledore did not appear to be intimidated or concerned with the powerful woman’s anger. “My apologies, Regent Longbottom. I felt it prudent to ensure the proper channels were followed. Please, present your evidence, Madam Bones.”

Madam Bones shared a satisfied look with Madam Longbottom. “I will read the relevant passage from Lily Potter’s Will; the rest will sit in evidence for any who wish to read it in its entirety. ‘If we are killed while living under the Fidelius charm, then we were betrayed by Peter Pettigrew. I leave this note here, knowing that Sirius Black is bound to do something stupid. He has placed himself as the decoy secret keeper in hopes of reducing the chances of us being found. It isn’t a bad plan; I just find that I can’t trust anyone now. I will repeat, Sirius Black is not now and never was our secret keeper. Peter Pettigrew is our secret keeper and has been the entire time.’” Madam Bones appeared to be fighting a smirk. The hall was just as outraged as Madam Longbottom had been in Gringotts. “I believe that speaks for itself. This was verified as authentic by the Goblins; to question this is to covet war.” 

“Thank you, Madam Bones, Madam Longbottom,” the Minister said, standing to take the Will from her to read for himself. “Please continue the questioning. I believe we can safely say Sirius Black is innocent of betraying the Potters. I would like to know if he is innocent of all charges.”

“Thank you, Minister.” Amelia Bones once again turned back to the man sitting in the middle of the room. “Mister Black, did you kill Peter Pettigrew?”

“No.”

The Hall erupted in shocked whispers. 

“Order,” the Minister called. “Allow Madam Bones to ask her questions.”

“Is Peter Pettigrew, to the best of your knowledge, alive or dead?”

“Alive.”

“Mister Black, please explain what happened on November first, 1981.”

“I was tracking Peter; I knew he had betrayed them.” Sirius, still being under the effects of Veritaserum, continued to speak with no emotion. “I used all the tricks I learned in Auror training and finally caught up with him on some muggle street. He was cornered and started yelling his lies about who betrayed James and Lily. He said it was me. Then he smirked at me, cut off his finger, and cast a blasting curse at the street just behind him. He must have hit a gas line or something because the explosion was far greater than he was capable of casting. I cast a shield to protect myself while he changed into his animagus form and escaped down the sewer drain. The next thing I consciously knew, I was in Azkaban.”

“Peter Pettigrew was an animagus?”

“Yes.”

“What is his form?”

“A common brown rat.”

Madam Bones turned to the congregation, “If that satisfies the members of the Wizengamot, I will finish any additional questioning with Mister Black in control of himself, not the potion.”

“Administer the antidote,” the Minister demanded before anyone could voice an opinion. 

While Auror Shacklebolt followed the Minister’s orders, Daphne whispered to her friends. “I think Dumbledore is furious. He looks content but that twinkle is missing. The Minister looks both interested and gleeful. He and Madam Bones are often at odds but right now he is finding a way to align himself with her; I believe he relishes the added benefit of opposing Dumbledore in this pursuit of justice.”

“The people I have been watching appear angered,” Neville added. “They don’t appear angry about the trial but about the miscarriage of justice. At least that is my opinion.”

“I would have to agree with Neville.” Hermione may not know the ins and outs of Wizarding justice but she was great at observation. “There are some who don’t appear pleased that Black will be free but I doubt they will make their opinion known because to oppose this would be to oppose their duty as the upholders of the legal system.”

Madam Bones asked questions for a few more minutes. She allowed Sirius to elaborate on things that they didn’t touch on during his questioning under truth serum, like what he did with Harry and why he went after Peter. By the end, it would have been political suicide to oppose his release. 

To follow procedure, they called for a recess where the members of the Wizengamot would vote in secret so they cleared the court room of civilians and Sirius Black. A mere thirty minutes later, meaning there was no debate about the verdict, they called everyone back in. 

The Chief Warlock stood, scanning the court room. “The Wizengamot finds Sirius Black innocent of all charges. This judicial body demands a full investigation into the individuals responsible, namely the former Head of the DMLE and the lead investigating officers in the case. If gross negligence or intent are found, they will be punished by this court.”

The Minister stood, “The current administration was not in power when you were sentenced, Sirius Black, but that does not mean we are innocent. It is the responsibility of all our citizens to ensure that the law is followed. As Minister for Magic, I am appalled by my predecessor’s actions. Whether this was allowed or merely unknown is no excuse. The Ministry will pay for your care while you recuperate and will give compensation for every year you were imprisoned illegally.”

Daphne leaned into Harry and whispered in his ear, “Fudge has just won himself the next election unless he does something ridiculously stupid. He is spending a great deal of money but the people won’t care because of why he is spending it. His show of goodwill will win him the hearts of even his enemies in the political arena.”

“Do you have anything to say, Mister Black?” asked the Minister.

“When can I see my godson?”

The court room watched as Madam Bones leaned down and whispered something in his ear. He jumped in his seat; surprise evident to those who could see his face. Slowly, he turned in his chair to look at the section directly behind the prisoner’s chair.

Grey eyes met green and, for a few, time stopped. For the first time in a decade, Sirius Black was looking at his godson and nothing would ever make him happier than seeing a smile spread across the boy’s face as he waved.

**Gringotts**

Severus was stunned to be led into an opulent office within the bowels of Gringotts. He managed to mask his surprise when the guard at the door announced that the Lord Ragnok, head of the Goblin nation, would see them. He failed in suppressing his look of surprise when the fearsome Goblin called Filius, his onetime teacher and current colleague, cousin.

“Thank you for taking the time to see us, cousin Ragnok. I know you are busy running the nation.”

“I have all the time in the world for the Goblin who brought the traitor of the natural order to our attention. It is because of you that we know the darkness exists.”

Filius bowed his head slightly, “I did only what was required of me by my vows to the old ways.”

Severus watched as the two Goblins, for in this environment Filius Flitwick was a Goblin, continued to converse but without words. 

“Cousin, this is my colleague, Potions Master Severus Snape. He is the premiere Potions Master in Europe if not the best in the world. He is also well versed in battle magics.”

“Well met, Potions Master Snape.”

Severus bowed his head in a show of respect, “Well met, Lord Ragnok.”

“Please, both of you sit.” Ragnok flicked his hand and two chairs appeared before his desk. It was a good show of power. “What can I do for you, cousin?” he asked as they sat.

“This has some connection to our enemy.”

“Then I hope I can offer assistance for He is one who should not exist and should not affect the lives of the living.”

“Agreed, which is why I brought Severus to you.” Filius took a deep breath while Severus marveled at the seriousness of the man. Filius had always seemed so carefree and jovial, but in this setting, he rivaled Severus in fierceness. “As you know, He marked those who follow him. Many followed and took the mark before they even realized just how deranged He was. Severus was recruited during school and took the mark only weeks after his graduation. He did not do anything in His name until after he achieved his Mastery. At that time, Severus was mostly asked to brew complex potions and occasionally keep tabs on people.”

“Did you kill in His name, Potions Master Snape?” Ragnok asked, cutting off his cousin’s explanations.

“I regret that I did. I never killed the innocent or defenseless. My victims only fell in battle.”

“I am not sure that you believe that. Who else did you kill?”

Severus just managed to hold his sigh in, “I may not have cast the curse but I am essentially responsible for the death of my greatest friend and her husband. I feel I am also, ultimately, responsible for the near death suffered by another young couple.”

“Why?”

“Because I relayed information about a Prophecy that led to the Dark Lord seeking the deaths of both young families.”

Ragnok studied him, which made Severus’s skin crawl. The Goblin, while dressed as a lord, was very dangerous. 

“Prophecy is a tricky thing. One does not know what is truly meant until long after the Prophecy has been completed. Were names a part of the Prophecy?”

Severus blinked, “No, no names were spoken.”

“Did you hear the entire Prophecy?”

“No, I did not. I still do not know the Prophecy in its entirety. What I did hear was vague and I did not interpret it the way that the Dark Lord or Dumbledore did.”

“How did they interpret it?”

“One line said, ‘the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches.’ I assumed that meant someone from far away or someone who had been gone for a time was coming. Dumbledore and the Dark Lord assumed it meant a child yet to be born.”

“It could be either.” Ragnok nodded. “Was the rest as vague?”

“Yes.”

The regal Goblin studied Severus silently. “Do you believe in Divination, Severus Snape?”

“No,” he answered simply.

“Continue, Filius.”

“Of course, cousin.” Filius knew his cousin better than most but he still did not know exactly what was going through his head. “Severus approached Dumbledore when he heard that the Potters were a target. He had been extremely close with Lily Potter during school and wanted to protect her. He turned spy against Him when Dumbledore demanded it.”

“Do you follow the halfblood, self-proclaimed Lord Voldemort?”

Severus blinked again, while internally cursing his lack of control in this situation. What was with the Goblin and his ability to unnerve him? “No. I do not. My time at school was not ideal and really just drove me into the arms for his followers because I had nowhere else to go. All I ever wanted was to be a Potions Master. I agreed to follow mostly because Lucius Malfoy said they would fund my Mastery studies. I didn’t mind the brewing but I hated the rest of it.”

“We are here to ask you,” Filius added when Severus stopped speaking, “if you would help remove or redirect the Dark Mark. Severus helped me face His shade and will be the first target when and if he returns. I cannot, in good conscience, allow that to happen without at least attempting to remove the bond.”

“I have a few other questions.” Ragnok turned his attention fully to the human. “Do you know what a Horcrux is?”

Severus thought hard but go the feeling if he knew what it was, he would be appalled. “I do not, but I get the feeling that I would not like whatever they are.”

“Only a mad man would not find them utterly repulsive,” Ragnok growled slightly. “A Horcrux is a way to circumvent death. Creating one breaks the soul and places a portion of that broken soul in an object, this piece of the soul outside the body prevents the soul from moving on if the body is killed. Someone who created a Horcrux cannot be truly killed until the Horcrux is destroyed.”

Severus felt a chill run up his spine. “He created one… No, he created more than one. He would think it intelligent to further protect himself from death no matter what this did to his soul.”

“He did,” Ragnok confirmed.

“Harry’s scar?”

“Yes.”

Severus did shiver then. To break the soul would require extreme evil, to then place that soul in a child was infinitely worse. “How many? I will aid in their destruction in any way I can.”

“There were six. We have dealt with two and a team of Curse Breakers will be retrieving another one today. I may need your help with one; a human Curse Breaker will be narrowing down where one is and if our estimation is correct, you could be a great help in locating it.” He rose and placed his hand on a stone just behind his desk. A panel opened and revealed a shelving unit. He pulled out a bowl and a silver dagger. “I am going to take a sample of your blood so I can see how tightly the tattoo is bound to you. I will be doing multiple scans and may have to bring in Curse Breakers or ritual specialists.”

“You are going to help me?” 

Ragnok did not comment on the obvious surprise in the young man’s voice. “I believe you wish to repent and have been trying to do so for years. There is much you could do for the world with your skill as a Potions Master. Most importantly, Filius respects you. I trust his judgement.”

“Thank you, Lord Ragnok.”

“Do not thank me yet. I make no guarantees and this may take a great deal of time.”

“I will thank you anyway. What you offer me is more than my help could ever offset.”

**King’s Cross**

Bill wanted to curse his mother and siblings for their procrastination but he couldn’t bring himself to. The mad rush to the station was nostalgic. It hadn’t mattered, no matter how many kids were going to Hogwarts, one or five, they would always be the last to arrive. He remembered being insanely irritated his first year, when his mom had to drag all the kids with them, the twins had been terrible. Charlie had been irritated his first year too, again the twins were awful. Percy had been enraged every year, he hated to be late and making it just in time was late for him. The only thing he wanted to complain about now was the crowds. 

With the discovery of multiple Horcruxes, his team was recalled to the main branch. Bill and his human teammate were in charge of attempting to track down Horcruxes in human areas. If they were discovered in magical areas, they would call their Goblin team members. 

His mother had been beside herself with glee upon hearing he would be home every night for the foreseeable future. She hated his job, but she had loathed his placement in Egypt. In all honesty, the distance from her nagging had been a huge draw for him but having spent a few years away from home had softened his irritation. Her nagging didn’t seem quite so bad anymore. What made everything infinitely better was the fact that he got to sit back and watch his siblings suffer the way he did under her obsessive smothering.

Percy pushed through the barrier without waiting for his mother to instruct him too. The twins were seconds behind him, probably hoping to escape their mother’s excessive mothering. Ron was dallying, while Ginny was nearly bouncing with excitement. Had he ever been that innocent? 

Ginny and his mother walked through the barrier next, Ron and his father followed quickly. Bill moseyed behind them, basking in the memories. 

He could see Percy loading his trunk into one of the front cars, the twins were toward the back. Ron was nowhere in sight while his parents were helping Ginny. The whistle blew when he felt it. The disk he wore around his neck at all times grew warm against his skin. 

There was a Horcrux in the building.

He pulled the disc from around his neck and placed it in his palm. Taking out his wand, he muttered a quick, yet complex spell to activate the disc further. The disc flashed briefly before a dot of light formed in the center. The little light shot in the direction of the Horcrux.

Bill followed. 

He pushed through the throng of people hoping to locate the Horcrux quickly and without confrontation. 

Then it started to move. 

It was no longer directly in front of him. The dot indicated that it was moving to his right. Bill looked up to see the Hogwarts Express speeding out of the station, headed toward Scotland. 

The Horcrux was in the possession of one of the students and would be in Hogwarts before the day ended.


	17. Girls Like Pink

**Letters**

_Harry,_

_Thank you for agreeing to communicate by letters to start out. I am just not healthy enough to really be the godfather you deserve._

_I suppose I will start with giving you the basics about Sirius Black._

_I am a member of one of the most illustrious families in the Wizarding world. For a time, we were respectable but in the last few generations we were evil bastards. Sorry, I probably shouldn’t swear but it is the truth. I, however, am the black sheep, or should I say white sheep, of my family. The Blacks have been Slytherins for generations, I was a Gryffindor. Blacks are staunch believers in blood purity, while I actively spit in their faces by dating muggle born witches. My family supported Voldemort, I fought against him._

_More about me. I am, or at least I was, a practical joker. I love playing pranks on people and have been doing it all my life. Your mother would say that I created a monster when I suggested becoming partners in pranks to your father. I had known him a whole day when I made the suggestion and we never looked back. I did okay at school; my best subjects were DADA and Transfiguration. Oh, I was also really good at Astronomy but that had more to do with the fact that my family is obsessed with the stars than anything else (every Black kid is good at Astronomy). What are your favorite classes?_

_I loved playing quidditch. I wasn’t nearly as good as your father, (he played chaser and I was a beater), but I wasn’t bad. He was captain for two years and I was the comic relief. Do you like to fly? Do you play quidditch? Do you have a favorite professional team? (If you do, please say it isn’t the Cannons, they were terrible when I was a student and they are still terrible)._

_I just realized that I didn’t ask you or Remus what house you were in. Did you make Gryffindor like your parents or did you get sorted somewhere else? Who are your friends? Tell me all about you._

_Remus did assure me that you are happy living with your aunt Petunia. I must admit that surprises me because she was not the nicest person in the world when I met her. Remus also said he met your family and he said you were a great family and they were very supportive of you._

_I hope to hear from you soon._

_Sirius_

_…_

_Sirius,_

_I do wish we could have met face to face before school, (the quick meeting after the trial just doesn’t count) but I understand. Your health is more important._

_Sirius Black sounds interesting but I did notice you didn’t mention anything about a certain map and your connection to it. Come on Padfoot, that has to be an interesting part of the Sirius Black story._

_As for Harry Potter, there really isn’t much to tell._

_I am a Ravenclaw and placed second in my year overall. I personally like DADA and Potions. Actually, I like all my classes but those are my best two. I’m not a huge fan of History class, but it is better than it used to be. Binns is no longer teaching, as we got the board to hire someone with a pulse to teach it but we have to change classrooms from time to time because Binns shows up and starts talking over the new professor. I really don’t like that ghost._

_I have some friends you would love. They idolize the makers of a certain map and prank everyone. Fred and George are two years above me, both Gryffindors, and happen to be identical twins. They rarely talk alone; it is like a verbal tennis match when they talk. I give them ideas for pranks from time to time. Have you ever heard of the Wizard of OZ? They pranked the whole school by turning them into characters and having them sing a song from the movie. I have some great ideas for this year, I will have to tell you how it goes._

_I do play quidditch. Ravenclaw has a full reserve team to help practice and be backups in case of injury. It is also a good way to train up replacements for graduating players. I made the reserve squad my first year as a seeker. We had a great team overall this year. I ended up as the first-string seeker at the end of the year; the captain and starting seeker thought I should play, they said because I was a better seeker. I don’t know about that but we WON! Ravenclaw got the quidditch cup. (Oh, and my friends on the Gryffindor team, the twins, have asked that I inform everyone I know not to tell their captain about the reserve team because he is crazy)._

_I don’t have a favorite team yet. My friend Blaise took me to a few games over the summer and I am weighing my options. Blaise is a Balley Castle fan and I did see them play. They were good, they lost to the Arrows but that had more to do with their keeper than anything else. I feel like I will probably choose my team based on their seeker. If I were to choose right now it would either be Balley Castle or Puddlemere. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that if I liked the Cannons my friends would no longer speak to me, plus that would make me the same as Ron. He isn’t a bad bloke; he is just a lazy student with a loud attitude. He rubs me the wrong way._

_As for my friends, I have friends in all houses and in a few different years. My best friend is Neville Longbottom. We are brothers, because we should have grown up together and we are sort of godbrothers. Dean is someone I had seen before going to Hogwarts; we both play football and have competed before. Nev and Dean are Gryffindors like the twins. My Hufflepuff friends are Susan Bones and Cedric Diggory. Susan is part of my study group. Cedric is in the twins’ year and he was sort of a guide early on (I say sort of because he and Roger Davis got us lost). The Slytherins are Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy. They are all in our study group and Daphne and Blaise spend more time with us than their own house. Then there is the Ravenclaws. I get along with just about everyone there, though I am not all that fond of some of the girls in the year above me. My closest Ravenclaw friends are Roger Davis, he is on the quidditch team and helped Cedric confuse Nev and I about how to get around, and Hermione Granger. Hermione is in my year and is the smartest in our year._

_Hmm. What else is there?_

_My family. You know I live with my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin. I know you don’t have the best idea about Aunt Petunia; she explained all about her formerly hostile attitude toward my mum and magic. My aunt was jealous and wanted to go to Hogwarts with my mum, when she found out she couldn’t, she lashed out and attacked to hide the pain. She hasn’t given excuses; she knows it was wrong. My Uncle fears magic but mostly because he is afraid of the potential of magic. He likes to be in control and thinks magic could alter that; I haven’t had the heart to tell him he is right. Dudley thinks magic is great. He wishes he had it but took a different route than Aunt Petunia, he asks about it all the time and tries to make me jealous of his ‘boring, normal life.’ I have a good home life Sirius, so please don’t worry about that._

_Would you like to spend some of the winter Holiday with my family? I know Aunt Petunia would love to meet you, mostly because it would make me happy._

_Harry_

_P.S. Remus said he might be able to come to one of my quidditch matches; would you come too?_

**Hogsmeade Station**

Bill Weasley shivered, not from the cold but from the possibility. 

Horcruxes, the vilest magic ever created. Magic created to lengthen life beyond what is natural, beyond design. The desecration of the soul to allow life after the death of the body. Dark magic. Evil magic. The most terrifying thing he could possibly dream up and it was on a train full of children. He would find it. If he did nothing else with his life, he would find the vessel, find the soul and see it destroyed.

Upon realizing one of the false lord’s Horcruxes was on the train, he had rushed to Gringotts to plan with his employers. If there was one things Goblins hated, it was cheating. Cheating money, cheating death. The creation of a Horcrux was a way to cheat both so they dealt with them fiercely. There was no quarter, no forgiveness. They would be destroyed so he could be destroyed.

The plan was simple enough; both he and Joshua, the only other human Curse Breaker trusted with the knowledge that these abominations existed, would wait at Hogsmeade station. When the train arrived, they would scan every child who got off the train with their trackers. If the trackers indicated the Horcrux was carried by a student, they would pull the student aside and take it. If the trackers were not drawn to any of the students attending Hogwarts, then they would search the luggage while it was still on the train.

One way or another, they would find the Horcrux before it was behind the wards of Hogwarts.

They had split up. Joshua was stationed at the top of the path leading toward the boats moored at the lake. Bill was standing just in front of the long line of carriages that would transport the rest of the students to the main doors.

“The train should be arriving momentarily, Curse Breaker Weasley.”

It was odd to hear his former Charms instructor address him with his title. Most Wizards didn’t identify each other with their job title the way Goblins did. The only Wizards who regularly heard their title were Aurors, Healers and Professors. “Thank you for your assistance, Charms Master Flitwick.”

Ragnok had contacted his cousin, the current Charms Master at Hogwarts, so he could pave the way with the Headmaster. Goblins and their employees could not deal with the Headmaster directly so they had to rely on the half Goblin teacher. It had worked, in a way. Bill and Joshua were cleared to scan for dark magic and Filius and Severus were there to help them. The only problem was, the headmaster invited himself to join the search. None of them were happy about that development.

“I would do anything for the students,” the little Goblin gazed toward the bright red engine that was pulling into the station. “It is my duty as a Professor and as a Goblin. These items should not exist and should never be in the vicinity of children.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Bill nodded darkly. He took a deep breath, “Let’s hope none of them are carrying it. It would be much less trouble if it was in someone’s luggage.”

“It will be found either way, Bill,” Severus said from just behind him. “And we will give any aid necessary to the child who ended up in possession of the vessel.”

Bill could only nod as the students began to flood from the cabins.

…

Joshua was surprised by the number of tiny eleven-year-old children. He had attended a small school in South Africa and the number of students that attended the school was about equal to the number of first year’s students passing him by. Hogwarts really was a much larger school; there were much more children in danger here. 

The smiling, excited faces were in complete contrast with the fear rushing through him. They could not allow this Horcrux to slip through their fingers. 

He renewed his focus on his tracker, waiting for it to shift, waiting for any indication that one of the tiny children was carrying one of the darkest pieces of magic ever created.

It seemed to take an eternity for the train to empty. At first the students came in a flood, then a trickle. Some rushed ahead, jubilation evident on their faces while others had fear lingering in their eyes. Some children were focused on the wonder while others were simply afraid of being away from him. A woman, he thought her name was Septima, stepped out of the last car on the train and nodded to him and to his partner in this operation, Bill. That was the signal that all the students were on their way to the school.

He nodded back and quickly made his way to the younger man. Bill was led on this for several reasons despite being more than a decade younger than he was. Goblins did not judge on years of experience, or at least not entirely. What mattered most was skill and Bill Weasley was gifted. He had a knack for wards and curses that surpassed even some of the Goblin recruits in their units. So, he was led and Joshua had no problem with that.

“None of the first-year students was carrying the vessel,” he informed the younger man quietly, attempting to keep their business from listening ears. The students may have all left the area but there were teachers around that were not on the trusted list.

“That means all the students were clear. I hope that means that none of them actually touched the vessel but once we discover who is in possession Filius and Severus can do more thorough scans.”

“Maybe the vessel was just dropped in a child’s trunk while they were loading the luggage.”

“We can only hope.”

“Well my boys,” the aging headmaster said jovially, “it seems my students were not carrying anything dangerous. Do you now wish to search their belongings?”

“That we do, Headmaster Dumbledore,” Bill said with authority. Joshua was a little surprised he had the guts to speak to his former headmaster that way. Rumor was, most British Wizards thought Dumbledore was their savior and Weasleys in particular looked to him as a god.

“I must insist that either myself or a member of my staff be present when you do search their things. I do have to look out for the students after all.”

“Of course, Headmaster,” Bill essentially waved him away. “That is why Gringotts approached Charms Master Flitwick. We do not want to impede on the rights of the children. The only thing we would possibly remove would be artifacts graded level three and above. Our intelligence suggests that there is a level seven or eight dark artifact on that train; if that is the case, it needs to be retrieved and neutralized. For the safety of the children.”

The kid was good. Joshua nearly smiled. “I will be tacking the front,” Joshua added, “I would like you to accompany me Headmaster as you are rumored to be exceptionally skilled. Bill is better with a wand than I, so I could use the help if I do find the dark object.”

It was satisfying to see the man preen under the praise. Severus had been right about that play. “Of course, my boy. What was your name again? John, was it?”

“Joshua, Sir. And it is an honor to meet you.” Joshua nearly chocked on the words but he managed. “We should get started. You have a feast to get to, don’t you?”

“Yes, yes. We will get started then. I shall see you once the train is searched completely. Severus, Filius, give Mister Weasley a hand, won’t you?”

The Headmaster walked away a moment later.

Joshua nodded his head toward the car his amulet indicated held the vessel and then follow the headmaster.

…

“I’ll sweep from the back,” Filius informed them after the Headmaster was out of earshot. “I want to check all the luggage for dark artifacts. Severus will aid you, Bill. He has more experience with this sort of darkness.”

Bill nodded as the little man jogged off. “Joshua marked the car the vessel was in before he joined us so we will start there.”

“Good. The sooner it is found, the sooner we can get it away from the students and the headmaster.”

“Then let’s get started.” Bill led the way to one of the middle cars and refocused on his tracker. He walked slowly down the corridor, watching for any shift in the indicator. 

It happened at the second to last compartment. 

The two stepped into the compartment and closed the door behind them.

“It is one of my snakes,” Severus said with no emotion in his voice. He would hold his temper and keep his focus. His mind was telling him, that one of their parents put the children in danger. He would have thought the follower would have chosen a student with no connection to Slytherin house, no connection to the dark lord.

“Do you know who? Which year group?”

“If I’m not mistaken, that is Draco Malfoy’s trunk,” he pointed to a dark, ornate wood trunk. “If that is the case, that means it was in the hands of a second-year student in Slytherin house. Considering the parents of that year, the most likely ones to hold the Vessel would be Lucius Malfoy and Aldridge Nott.”

Bill nodded and started scanning the trunks individually. The ornate trunk Severus had indicated was clear, so Malfoy either didn’t have the vessel or was kind enough not to give it to his son. He also cleaner a lighter toned, equally ornate trunk with the Nott family crest carved into the top. There were two fairly worn trunks, but in better condition than his brother’s trunks, that were also clear. That left one trunk. 

Together they lifted the trunk from the overhead rack and placed it on the floor. It was a nice trunk. It would have been new last year when the student was eleven. It was sleek and, to his eye, feminine in design. 

Bill lifted the lid, careful to touch nothing but the trunk itself. He was right about the femininity of the trunk. Inside was a world of pink; pink shirts, pink dresses, pink robes, even a few of the visible books were pink. In the middle of that pink sea was a worn, black leather book. That book looked and felt wrong.

“This trunk belongs to Pansy Parkinson.” Severus said quietly. “That book on top doesn’t look like something she would own. She isn’t particularly fond of black, she often complains about the school robes being black, and it isn’t new. I don’t think I have ever seen her with something that didn’t look brand new.”

“The Vessel is definitely the little book. It feels dark and menacing and I haven’t even touched it yet.” Bill took a deep, calming breath. “I am going to scan for any additional curses on the book; it wouldn’t surprise me if he warded them to attack.”

“No, that would not be a surprise,” Severus agreed. “He had a fondness for causing pain, if it is cursed, it will be painful and hard to treat.”

“What are the most likely curses?”

“He was particularly fond of the Cruciatus Cruse so something that caused that level of pain would not be amiss. Perhaps a withering curse or one to boil blood.”

“Level five or above?”

“Indeed.”

“And you followed this guy?”

Severus cringed slightly, “I mostly experimented with potions and followed people he wanted to keep an eye on. I was not part of the inner circle and he rarely had me placed in danger because of my skill with potions.” He sighed, “But that is no excuse. The torturous tendencies were my first clue I had made a grave mistake.”

“At least you realized it,” Bill waved his wand over the book, muttering a Goblin detection spell. “There are a lot of them out there who never saw the crazy.”

The book glowed a light blue before flashing an angry red, “It’s clear of additional curses.”

“Could they have been removed?”

“No,” Bill shook his head. “I see no trace of anything additional on this book. He didn’t try to protect this one. I was told the one found within Gringotts was protected in a way that made it hard to detect the Vessel once it was touched. If touched it would multiply infinitely. Perhaps this is an early one.”

“It would stand to reason that he wouldn’t think so cautiously in the early stages. What do you need to do now?”

“Could you pull out the lead box from my bag? I am going to attempt to levitate it into the box. If that doesn’t work, I’ll use the Dragon Hide gloves.”

Severus pulled out the box and placed it on the seat next to where Bill was crouching on the floor. 

Bill instantly performed the handy first year spell and was thoroughly surprised when the book instantly floated out of the trunk and into the box as he directed. The Curse Breaker had honestly expected more of a challenge when it came to containing the vessel.

“Well, that wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.”

“It has to be an early one, there is no other explanation for it. The man I knew would ward the most mundane things just to see someone writhe in pain.”

Bill slipped the now closed lead box back into his bag and straightened. “Luck was on our side. I need to get this out of here as soon as possible but we should still check the remaining cars so that the headmaster doesn’t know we purposefully kept him away from this.”

“No need, Curse Breaker Weasley,” Filius stepped into the door way of the compartment. “I have checked all the cars up until this one and if I am not mistake, the Headmaster and Curse Breaker Linwood are in the next car over.”

Bill smiled, “Thank you, Charms Master Flitwick.” The three stepped out into the corridor just as the door to the car opened and the final two searchers joined them. 

“We didn’t find the Level Seven, Curse Breaker Weasley, but we did find a handful of Level Three and Four dark items.”

“That is alright, Curse Breaker Linwood, we found it,” Bill replied.

“Along with, a second handful of lower level dark artifacts,” Filius added quickly.

“I will be taking the Level Seven to Gringotts immediately, you can either give the lower level artifacts to us for containment or you can take care of them yourselves, Headmaster.”

“I think we can take care of all of them, my boy,” the Headmaster said with a forced smile. “I am capable of dealing with a Level Seven.”

“You are not currently on Hogwarts grounds and it was Gringotts who brought this breach to your attention. You know full well that Goblins will not allow anyone outside Gringotts to cleanse a Level Seven when they discovered it.”

Bill watched the Headmaster fight to keep his grandfatherly façade. “Of course, give my regards to Lord Ragnok.”

Bill simply nodded and then headed out of the compartment, Joshua at his heels.

**Hogwarts – Severus Snape’s Office**

Severus sat behind his desk, Filius in a tall chair he conjured to his left. They were waiting for Pansy Parkinson to join them in his office. 

Things had been interesting since the train. The teachers had a meeting after the feast to discuss the Level three and higher dark artifacts found in various trunks throughout the train. Despite Headmaster’s attempts, it was well known to each professor that the dark items were found in the trunks of students of every house, not just Slytherin students.

It was decided that each student in possession of one of the confiscated artifacts was being called to their Head of House’s office before noon the following morning. The students would be questioned to determine if they knew it was considered dark, their intentions with the objects and where they received the items. Depending on their answers, they could get points taken or be suspended. 

What was not discussed was the Level Seven artifact. Severus and Filius were going to take care of that on their own. They had spoken with Goblin healers about the effects of Horcruxes on individuals who came in contact with them. If the person touched the item, they could be affected. The amount of time in possession of the tainted item would determine how bad the consequences would be.

Severus had talked to his Seventh-Year Prefects and they would be bringing Miss Parkinson to them momentarily.

“Do you think it was her father?”

Severus shook his head. “Randall Parkinson was not a trusted individual when he was at his peak. It’s more likely that either Nott or Malfoy had it, Aldridge is a distinct possibility and if not Lucius then Abraxas, and they planted it on Miss Parkinson while loading their son’s trunks.”

“It seems odd to hide something of that quality in with Miss Parkinson’s things. It would be less conspicuous in Mister Crabbe or Mister Goyle’s things.”

“I agree that it would not have been noticed quite as easily among their belongings but, at least with Malfoy, the placement could have been chosen due to some slight by Randall or his wife. If it was Nott, it could have been placed among the girl’s things as some sort of twisted attack on Lucius.” Severus rubbed his temples, “It will be harder to determine Nott’s motive, if it was him, as he tends to have very elaborate plans and he isn’t known for rushing into anything. His motives could be fueled by an altercation from a decade ago whereas Lucius would extract revenge at the first opportunity.”

Filius nodded but did not get the chance to reply due to a knock at the door.

“Enter,” Severus said in his ominous professor’s voice. Filius fought a smirk, Severus really was an interesting man.

The door was opened by the male Slytherin seventh-year Prefect, he would have made a good Head-boy in Filius’s opinion. Pansy Parkinson stood right behind him, attempting to look innocent, she just looked irritated.

“Come in, sit down Miss Parkinson.” Severus waited a beat, “Thank you mister Ogden, you may go.”

Pansy sat and started to slump down in her chair, only to straighten instantly and sit with perfect posture. It looked like someone had been talked to about her bad habits over the summer. “What can I do for you Professors?”

“Professor Flitwick and I would like to talk to you about a book found in your trunk.”

“You went through my things, Sir?”

“Every student’s things were searched for contraband and dangerous items, Miss Parkinson,” Filius said soothingly. “It is something we as teachers do when tipped off about exceptionally dangerous items. We can’t allow such things in the school.”

“I suppose that is understandable, sir, but I didn’t have any such thing in my trunk. The only books in my trunk were my school books and my new, lovely pink diary, which I have yet to write in.”

“That is a problem then, Miss Parkinson, because there was an exceedingly dark book sitting on the top of your things. This book was old, with a scarred black leather binding.”

“If it was there, I didn’t put it there. I don’t do old books. I don’t even like touching books in the library. If I can manage it, I make Milly do all the touching in the library. I also don’t do black unless I absolutely must, like my uniforms and my cauldron. Like I said, my BRAND-NEW diary is PINK.”

Filius and Severus shared a look. “Alright, we would still like to check and make sure there were no ill effects of the book being in your possession, and by that, I mean in your things.”

Pansy almost sneered at the small charms professor but caught herself. “Should I head to the hospital wing then?”

“No, Miss Parkinson,” Severus almost growled. He did not like her attitude, never had. “Professor Flitwick and I are more versed in detecting the effects of dark curses and artifacts. Madam Pomfrey is a talented Medi-Witch but she is not a dark magic specialist.” She looked slightly cowed. “Professor Flitwick will perform some spells from his family stores and I will perform some discovered in my own travels. If there is any ill effect, we will find it. Your parents will be informed and if they so choose, they will be allowed to ask for their own expert consultations.”

“They most likely will insist on that.”

Severus only nodded.

“I will go first, Miss Parkinson as my first spell does not work well when it follows another.” Filius hopped off his tall chair and scooted around the desk, his wand in his hand. 

“What is the spell, Professor? I would like to research it.”

“As your Head of House said, it is a family secret,” it wasn’t a total lie, it was a Goblin secret. “I can’t tell you what it is and you wouldn’t find it even if I did. You also won’t understand it so don’t try to figure it out.”

She huffed but didn’t ask anything else.

Filius’s spell took a fair bit of time as it was very thorough. In all honesty, it was the only one they needed to perform but they would do three others for verification. Each and every spell they used to determine if the darkness had affected her came up negative.

“Well, Miss Parkinson, you are clear on any dark magic. Can you think of any reason the book would have been in your trunk?”

She shrugged. “I suppose it could have been in one of the other trunks. We all had them open at one time or another.”

“Who was in the compartment with you during the train ride?”

“Most of my year-mates were in there at one time or another. Theo, Draco, and Blaise weren’t there for long. Milly, Vince and Greg were there all day. Tracy was the only other one who spent any real time there but she wasn’t sitting with us the whole time.” She took a second to think, “the Prefects stopped by to check in and Madeline sat with us for about an hour. Other than that, it was just people poking their head in to say hello.”

“Alright,” Severus looked at her for a long moment. “You may go, Miss Parkinson. I will be contacting your parents this afternoon to let them know what has occurred and if they do choose to see a specialist, I will inform you.”

Pansy didn’t reply, she just got to her feet and walked out the door with an adolescent, girly huff. 

“Well, she’s a joy, Severus.”

Severus rolled his eyes, “She is a spoiled, pure-blood princess, Filius, that makes her a joy, whether we like it or not.”

Filius smiled slightly but then his face turned serious. “Do we pull in your second year Slytherins?”

Severus considered a moment, “We could but I have a feeling it is going to turn out just like Miss Parkinson with each of them. The only ones we can justifiably call are the ones who had their trunks in the cabin. The others could claim they weren’t there and then it would be her word against theirs.”

“This is true. What do you want to do?” 

“I can subtly scan each of them during their beginning of the year meetings with me but I don’t think I can justify your scan seeing as the artifact wasn’t among their belongings. The only reason I am not worried about her parents’ reactions is because the book was in her trunk; the other parents, Nott and Malfoy, in particular, would cause problems for the school if we scanned their sons without proof they came in contact with the book. Miss Parkinson said they spent little time in the compartment during the trip so both would see the scans as intrusive and an invasion of their rights. Crabbe and Goyle would look to Lucius and he would fight for them too as it would garner more loyalty from the families. The only one I could possibly scan with no argument is Miss Bulstrode and that is because her father is more frightened of me than either Nott or Malfoy.”

Filius raised an eyebrow at that admission.

“Benjamin Bulstrode was poisoned during school, not by me but by one of his year-mates. I am the one who cured him despite the fact that I was only a second year. He thought I had done it because I could cure it with so little schooling.”

“I vaguely remember that. Benjamin missed about a week of classes and when he came back, he was pale and sweaty for a few days. We asked Madam Pomfrey but she had no idea where he had been and she checked him over but she said it was just a cold at that point and gave him a Pepper-Up.” 

“He was told that if he went to the professors he would die.”

“Then why did he think you did it if someone else threatened him with death if he went to the professors?”

“Because it was Lucius doing the threatening and everyone but me knew that Lucius had already turned his sights on recruiting me.”

“He started so early?”

“I have a gift for Potions and the Dark Lord was interested in finding someone who could surpass him in the subject. My grades, even then, were better than his in that area.” Severus shook his head, “Anyway, I think the only thing we can do is watch them closely. If we see any change in behavior, we can pull the student in and do a more thorough investigation.”

“I suppose that is all we can do.” Filius didn’t like it but he knew it was all they had. What Severus said about the other parents was true. They could not do anything to anger Malfoy or Nott as they were on the Board of Governors; both had the power to strong arm changes at the school if they were angered enough. “I should go, I do have one student I need to talk to about what was found in his trunk.”

Severus groaned, “I have four.”

“I think the hardest thing for Albus to swallow is that there were five Gryffindor students with dark artifacts and only four Slytherins.”

“I thought Pomona was going to faint when she was informed three of her students had dark objects.”

“Yes, that was surprising. In general, Hufflepuffs are rule followers, not rule breakers.”

“Well, I should get to it. I will see you tonight at the staff meeting so we can determine how we will punish these students.”

“See you tonight, Severus.” Filius left with a bounce in his step. For once, Ravenclaw was the house in the lead.

**12 Grimmauld Place**

Sirius Black hated his family home. It was dark, it was dank and it was dreary and now it was just depressing. 

He had no fond memories of that place and coming back was proving he never would. The house he remembered looked down right cheerful when he compared it to the dump it had become. He wasn’t sure what had happened but it was obvious that no one had been cleaning it for several years. 

Gringotts had informed him that his mother had passed four years before. With his brother and father dying before he was imprisoned, that meant there was no one left to care for the place save the House Elf and the House Elf had never been that great at caring for the house due to his crazy obsession with his mistress. The House Elf had, oddly enough, gotten crazier in the years he was absent and Sirius assumed his mother’s passing pushed the Elf over the abyss into utter madness. 

He would not be there if he didn’t need to be. Sirius would never live at 12 Grimmauld Place, but within her walls were the secrets to accessing the other Black properties. It wasn’t that he didn’t know where they were, he just knew that with his mother’s death, the only way to access them was to Floo from Grimmauld. Once he had entered the location, he could change the security features to allow travel from other means but until that time, he was stuck using Grimmauld.

It had been Remus’s idea to contact Gringotts and ask them to clear the house of all dark artifacts and identify the ones that would require a Black to dismantle. He had been blown away when the Head of the Curse Breaking Department, Master Longclaw, had requested to come himself. 

Master Longclaw confided in Sirius that he had heard stories about the Black family and wanted some firsthand experience dismantling Black curses and warding. The Black family was legendary for their wards and curses. Sirius had agreed to allow the Head of the department access if it was understood that Sirius was not aware of or responsible for any artifact that would bring him in violation with a Gringotts contract. He would not be punished for what his family did before they died.

“This place is a mess, Padfoot,” Mooney whispered. 

They were standing in the front hallway while a Goblin studied his mother’s portrait. Sirius wanted the blasted thing off the wall but had been unable to remove it. He wanted it gone for several reasons, the least of which was her horrible grooming. The most prominent reason was that the crazy woman would scream if she saw anyone in her ‘Noble House of Black.’

“Yeah, it is. I’m not that surprised though. My mother was always a piece of work and Kreacher was a terrible Elf in my opinion. He didn’t do anything unless ordered to do it and he rarely listened to orders not delivered by my mother. The only person he loved more than her was Regulus and that was mostly because Reggie treated him like a pet.”

“What about just removing the wall?” Mooney wondered, the werewolf didn’t care about the crazy Blacks and their equally crazy House Elf. His wolf hearing made the blasted painting painful.

“It could work but taking out the wall would also require tearing down the entire ward structure and rebuilding it from scratch. I would have to study the Black ward books for a few years before I was capable of doing that.”

“Won’t be necessary,” the Goblin grumbled. Goblins had great hearing too so they were just as eager to get rid of the screaming portrait as the humans were. “I figured out what is holding her to the wall. In order to get her down you are going to have to mix your blood with the potion to remove Ministerial contract ink.”

“She used contract ink to seal herself to the wall? Mixed with Black blood?” Sirius clarified. “Where in the world did she get that much of the ink? Isn’t it heavily guarded so that you know when you receive official Ministerial documents?”

“The House of Black has been able to acquire much just by asking.” The Goblin moved toward the kitchen so they could seek freely. “The ink may have been in the House or in one of the Black Vaults for years and she just so happened to find it. Or she could have just demanded some from some minion at the Ministry and they would have given it to her because of who and what she was.”

The Goblin was not wrong. The Black family had a reputation that was darker than most Dark Lords and for good reason. The first British Dark Lord was defeated by a Black. In the past, there was less restrictions on spell choice, less definition of spells. The Black who defeated the Dark Lord used darker spells than their enemy; the only reason the Black wasn’t labeled a Dark Lord was because that Black wasn’t aiming for domination through force, their aim was to rule with money and influence. Needless to say, that Black was so successful, he painted the way for his family for generations to come. The fact that he also passed all of his magical secrets was not kept secret either.

“I’ve got to say it, Siri,” Remus murmured. “Your family is crazy.”

“Haven’t I been saying that since first year?”

“Yes, you have but seeing the crazy is a lot different than hearing about it.”

“It’s a miracle I turned out as good as I did.”

Remus snorted. Sirius Black was not the poster child for well-adjusted kids. In school, he was brash and judgmental. As they got older, he prejudices just got more pronounced. “I sort of understand your anti-Slytherin dogma seeing all of this. With the way your family was idolized in Slytherin, it is hard not to see the snakes as twisted.”

“Aren’t you the one who always said they can’t all be bad?”

Remus shook his head, “I still feel that way, all I am saying is that I can see why you felt the way you did.” The Goblin moved from his thorough inspection of the area around the crazed portrait to continue down the hall, Remus and Sirius followed. “How are things going with you and Harry?”

“We are trying to get to know each other.” Sirius smiled at his friend, “It was me who asked not to meet face to face just yet. I know he saw me at my trial, but I don’t want him to see me as I am now. I’m not healthy and I should be able to be the adult in that situation. I also thought it would be less awkward if we exchanged letters first, like you did with him. That way he can control what he tells me and what he wants to know without feeling pressured by my presence.”

“That was a very mature decision, Sirius. I’m surprised you came up with it.”

“Me too. At first, I really did want to spend every moment with him that I could, but then I thought about James and Lily. I assume he is like them, at least a little bit, and they would take care of me. I don’t want my godson to take care of me when I should be taking care of him. Until the Healers have cleared me to use magic without supervision, I am not fit to be his physical godfather.”

One of the other Goblins came barreling down the hall, fury written on his face. He and the Goblin they were with started conversing, loudly.

“I wonder what that is about,” Remus mused.

“The subordinate found a high-level dark artifact; scans indicate it is a level seven or eight. Had I not made the deal to absent myself from my family’s actions I would be headed for the dragon pens for the rest of my short life.”

Remus shook his head in wonder. “You speak Goblin?”

Sirius Shrugged, “Yeah.”

“How? Why?”

“I’m a Black.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Blacks don’t trust anyone.” Seeing that his answer did not seem to have meant anything to his friend, he continued. “The Black family does not go in to business with anyone if that person has the upper hand. Goblins having a separate language Wizards in general don’t speak is in their advantage. One of my ancestors managed to befriend a few Goblins and learned. Each and every child of the House of Black has been taught Goblin since. It means that Goblins can’t hid anything in contracts or conversations when a Black is in the room.”

“I suppose that makes sense but how do you still remember it?”

Sirius gave him a blank look. “You don’t want to know what the penalties were if we made mistakes in lessons; let’s just say it was highly unpleasant and leave it at that.”

Before Remus could respond, the lead Goblin spoke in English. “You are lucky you could prove you had not been in this house after the summer of 1975. We have found a Forbidden item within these walls.”

“I find myself unsurprised by this fact, Master Ashlock. My family, such as they were, had fallen to the madness and forgot many of the agreements in favor of causing pain. I would be in your debt if you would consent to cleansing the item so that the taint no longer remains in this world.”

The Goblin nodded his head, “It is with great displeasure that I have to deny your debt. The Goblin Nation is in fact in your debt for giving us the opportunity to find this item. We are actively at war with the one who created this Forbidden item and have come one step closer to ridding the world of his taint.”

Sirius blinked in shock. Goblins did not turn down the offer of a debt. “I am pleased, beyond measure, that you are closer to your goals in this matter. Those who created the Forbidden should never breath free. Might I ask what the item was?”

Ashlock considered him for a moment before pulling a locket from his bag. 

Sirius studied it, noting the ornate S. “I’ve never seen it before. I would remember it. My mother probably would have worn it daily attempting to claim some blood connection to Slytherin House. It could have been brought in after I left.”

“I had to kill the House Elf.”

“I’m sorry,” Sirius shook his head. “What?”

“The House Elf tried to attack me when I was placing it in my bag. He was screaming about Master Regulus’s Locket and being a bad Elf for not destroying it. It was reflex; he was dead before I realized he wanted it cleansed. For this slight, I apologize. Gringotts can help you locate a new House Elf if you wish.”

“Um…” Sirius shook his head again to clear it. “Don’t worry about Kreacher, he probably would have tried to kill me too. I may take you up on the offer to find me a new Elf but I would like get into the other Black properties first and see what sort of shape they are in and see if the Elves assigned there are any good. He said Regulus wanted it destroyed?”

“He did.”

“Then that means Voldemort isn’t dead, that is a Horcrux and my brother didn’t die a Death Eater.”

**Hogwarts Library**

“When, do you suppose the boys will get here?” Susan wondered while examining her nails. She had discovered nail polish over the holiday and was constantly changing the color. 

“I can’t say,” Hermione said, not looking up from her History assignment. “They will get here when they get here.”

Daphne shook her head, “Hermione, you can relax for a few minutes. We only got that history assignment half an hour ago, and it isn’t due until Friday, that means you have a whole four days to write it.”

“I like to get things done the day I get them.”

“We know that Hermione,” Susan smiled, “But I thought you wanted to get together to talk about that Potions essay like me. I think the only people who weren’t completely confused were Harry and Draco.”

“While I hate to agree, Susan is right, Hermione. That Potions essay is going to be difficult and you did say that is what you wanted to study this afternoon.”

“And when the boys get here, I will switch to the potions assignment. I just don’t like to waste time.”

Daphne rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Why are your nails pink, Sue?”

Susan grinned, “I like painting them fun colors and I LOVE pink. Don’t you think this color is great? I think it might be my favorite. It is called ‘Bubble Gum Pink.’”

Daphne’s nosed wrinkled, “Lovely.”

Susan tilted her head, “You don’t like it, do you? Why don’t you like it? Don’t all girls like pink?”

Hermione looked up from her paper and shook her head, “I know I don’t. I personally like Periwinkle.”

“My favorite color is blue,” Daphne confided. “Of course, my aversion to pink has more to do with Pansy’s obsession with the color than anything else. My dorm room is covered in pinks of all shades and has been since last year. I see so much pink day in and day out it kind of makes me sick.”

“Hey, Nev, why is it that girls are always talking about the color pink?”

“I have no idea, Harry,” Neville grinned as he slid into a seat. “It could be that girls like pink.”

“True, but didn’t Daphne just say she didn’t like the color?”

“She did,” Blaise agreed sitting on Harry’s other side. “But that isn’t surprising considering Daphne purposefully does everything different.”

“At least she is unique,” Draco added, taking the last seat at the table. “I get really sick of listening to Tracy, Pansy and Millie go on and on about the different shades of pink and their individual greatness.”

“Can we stop talking about the color pink?” Hermione asked. “We have a challenging Potions essay that we need to start.”

“Hermione is right,” Harry jumped in. “And, I am sorry we’re late. Neville and I got hijacked by Fred and George on our way down here. They wanted to show us something on the sixth floor and the only reason we managed to get away was because we slipped down a side corridor while they were arguing about which passage to take to get to the sixth floor.”

“I too would like to apologize,” Draco sighed. “Pansy cornered me and wouldn’t let me go, literally. She wrapped her arms around my waist and wouldn’t let go until Professor Snape told her to because public displays like that would not please her father.”

The group looked to Blaise.

“Oh, I’m just late. I lost track of time while flirting with Eloise.”

“Isn’t she a fourth year?” Hermione asked.

Daphne glared at Blaise, “She is and she is only interested in flirting with him because of his family money. The Zabini family is quite rich and Eloise’s family has fallen on hard times recently. Blaise is the only boy her parents would approve of in terms of wealth, that she approves of in terms of looks, that isn’t already spoken for.”

“You mean, like marriage contracts?” Harry wondered.

“Yes,” Draco confirmed. “Most of us are at least mostly spoken for. We aren’t forced to marry if we don’t get along but we do have to at least attempt to form a relationship with the person our parents negotiated for. Most just marry who their parents pick because they know it is a good political match.”

“There can’t be that many people in contracts,” Hermione looked disgusted.

“There aren’t,” Daphne confirmed. “But Eloise’s parents would never allow her to enter into a relationship with a non-Slytherin family. They are ridiculously traditional and more prejudice than most.”

“Many families will be harsher on another house,” Susan joined her other purebloods in explaining the contracts, “Slytherin families tend to not like Gryffindor families but most will allow the addition of Hufflepuffs and have no problem with Ravenclaw families. Gryffindor families just reject Slytherin families; Hufflepuffs just require non-dark families and Ravenclaws prefer their additions to be the smartest of their houses if they aren’t Claws.”

Harry and Hermione shared a look, “Pure-bloods are strange,” Harry muttered. “Alright, enough of that. Let’s get started on that…”

Harry stopped talking when there was a small crash and a muffled whimper in the stacks behind their table. He also heard snickering.

He and Neville where out of their seats and slipping into the stacks to see what was going on before the others had really registered there was a problem. What they saw, made Harry’s blood boil. 

Harry had always had a strong hatred of bullies. He wasn’t sure why he felt so strongly about the subject, he had never been bullied and besides Piers Polkiss, and he was a coward, there weren’t really any bullies around Privet Drive. 

“Walk away,” he growled.

The three third year girls, all Ravenclaws, glanced at him dismissively. “We can’t do that, little Potter. We have to teach this firsty that it isn’t okay to talk about imaginary pets.”

“I said, walk away.” The hair on his head shifted as thought blown about by a strong wind. “What you are doing is not alright. Your house is your family at Hogwarts. Families fight but they do not torment each other.”

Neville had crouched down and started helping the small blond clean up the mess of books the girls had partially buried her in. They were stacking them in piles so they could easily be put away. 

“What do you care, Potter? She is just a first-year. I doubt you even know her name.” 

“Her name is Luna,” Hermione said walking up to stand with Harry. “She is actually quite smart if you take the time to listen to her.”

“She is Loony is what she is,” the ringleader said. “She talks about ridiculous things that no one else sees.”

“Have you ever considered that she might have Mage Sight?” Daphne wondered. She was a Slytherin but she would not stand by and watch three third-year students attack a first-year. “From what I remember of Family Legends, Mage Sight runs in the Wallace family, of which Miss Lovegood’s mother is descended. You and I don’t know what Mage Sight could show her; perhaps she is seeing things only someone with that gift could see.”

“You really shouldn’t give the crazy little freak any ideas, Greengrass,” the girl on the right sneered. “We can’t have her thinking that she could be right about her imaginary friends.”

Just then, Madam Pince walked around the corner with Susan. The Librarian instantly saw what was going on. It was easy really considering Luna was sitting on the ground, back against the book case with the three taller girls standing over her. The books in piles and the empty shelves told the rest of the tale. 

“Miss Dolin, Miss Harper and Miss Tanner,” you could hear the disapproval in her voice. “you will be serving detention with me this weekend, restocking the shelves because it is obvious you do not respect the books. You will also restock all the books you dumped on Miss Lovegood right now. You will each also lose five points. Bulling is a despicable thing.” She turned to Harry and his friends, “Five points to each Mister Potter, Mister Longbottom, Miss Greengrass, Miss Granger and Miss Bones for defending a fellow student and getting a teacher. Now, go back to your studying while these three clean up this mess.”

Neville got to his feet and helped Luna up as well. The group of friends led the girl out of the stacks and to their table, Hermione and Daphne planted her in a chair they squished between them.

“Blaise, Draco,” Harry began, “This is Luna, she is a first year and she is going to study here today. Luna, this is Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy, Susan Bones, Daphne Greengrass, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom and I am Harry Potter. We would like to be your friends.”

Luna could only smile with joy.


	18. Voices

**Letters**

_Aunt Petunia (and Dudley),_

_The start of my second year is going well. Quidditch trials were the first weekend and I got the starting seeker position. I still feel kind of bad for taking the spot at the end of the year last year, but I know I worked for it and this year, it was earned. All starting players were required to help at the reserve tryout; the reserve squad looks good, but there are no first years this year._

_My study group is now officially a group of friends. Draco and Susan now spend more time with us than they do with anyone else, which means that Susan’s childhood friend Hannah spends a great deal of time with us now too, though she does avoid our study group and I have no idea why._

_We added another new friend too. As you know, I can’t stand bullying. We were in the library studying when we heard a crash and a whimper. You can probably guess what I did; if you guessed that I went to check it out, you would be correct. Neville and I were around the corner very quickly and I almost exploded when I saw what had happened. Some third years had a first year cornered, on the floor and covered in heavy books. When I told them to walk away, they said they couldn’t, because they had to teach her that being different was wrong; those weren’t their exact words but that was the gist of it._

_The first year, a tiny girl named Luna, is… well, odd is accurate. She wears radish earrings and talks about things I don’t see or understand. BUT that does not mean that it is okay to torment her. Daphne thinks she might have a rare gift, called Mage Sight, that allows her to see things that are normally not visible. Hermione had actually talked to her and she said Luna was rather smart, which makes sense because she is a Ravenclaw like we are._

_What irritated me most was the fact that the third years were Claws too. We are all told the first night that our House is our FAMILY. Older siblings should not torment younger ones based on small quirks. If Luna tortured kittens, it would be acceptable to attempt to convince her that was wrong, but all she does is talk about Nargles and Wrackspurts. Apparently Nargles steal things, and Wrackspurts muddle your brain._

_Anyway, Luna is now our friend and Hermione and I have taken her under our wings._

_Sirius and I are getting to know each other. He is funny, if a little immature. I don’t think being locked in Azkaban, completely innocent, allowed him to move beyond his goofy school persona. He talks a lot about pranking others during school, unfortunately my potions professor makes a lot of appearances in those stories. It sounds like their early pranks were just that, pranks for laughs. Later on, they got a bit mean. I don’t really have the heart to tell him that they were kind of acting a lot like bullies. The constant targeting of one Slytherin boy is not for laughs, it is for humiliation._

_I did ask Remus about his thoughts on their actions, just to gage where he, someone who was free to grow up, stood, and he said that they often got out of hand. There are some stories he is ashamed of, so it does make me feel a bit better about the whole thing. I’m just glad that Professor Snape doesn’t blame me for my father and Sirius’s sins. I do look remarkably like my dad after all._

_Classes are going well, but I can’t stand the new defense professor. Lockhart, I refuse to call that buffoon professor, is a peacock. I don’t think he has ever taught a class in his life and I am surprised he chose an informative book. I mean, who assigns a quiz on the first day of class, that has nothing to do with the subject being taught? Lockhart literally gave a quiz that was fifty-four questions on things such as his ideal gift and favorite color. Who cares? With the size of his ego, it would not have surprised me if he assigned his books as the required text books; seriously, I think he would have tried to assign all seven books, to all seven years, just so he could get his bonus and see his face more often. I haven’t been in his office but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was wallpapered with his picture._

_I should stop there. Hermione is giving me a look; she is obsessed with getting to class early. We still have fifteen minutes for crying out loud. Neville is no help either, he just laughs and rolls his eyes._

_Love you,_

_Harry_

_…_

_Daddy,_

_I know you were worried, but you really didn’t need to be. It is hard being away from home, being away from you. I hope you aren’t too lonely without me._

_The first week was difficult. There are so many people here and there are so many ways to get lost among the magic of the castle. As I told you, I am a Ravenclaw, just like Mommy was. I just love all the blue around the common room. It is so regal and calming. My classmates think I am odd but they have left me to myself for the most part. Most people just leave me alone to be honest._

_I did have a problem with some third-year girls. They tried to tell me I wasn’t allowed to have friends, or any peace until I stopped talking about the Nargles and Wrackspurts. I honestly think the Wrackspurts were muddling their brains, or they were angry with some Nargles for stealing their common sense._

_Don’t worry though, my new friends saved me. I was being confronted for my oddness, as they probably think of it, when Harry Potter and his friends stepped in. Harry Potter seemed very angry with our House mates. He told them to leave me alone and go away but they weren’t listening. Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger tried to help too. Then Daphne Greengrass stepped in and told them not to judge me by what I see because it could be a gift that only I have. Finally, Susan Bones got Madam Pince and she got so angry with the three older girls; I think it was because they had dumped all those books on the floor._

_Now Harry Potter and his friends are my friends. I sit with Harry and Hermione at all meals; sometimes we are joined by Neville Longbottom. Harry has also introduced me to the Weasley twins and they remembered me! They said that if anyone was mean to me, I should tell them and they would make them regret making me cry. I didn’t have the heart to tell them I didn’t cry. They are so nice._

_I really like it here. Hogwarts really is beautiful, Daddy. She just glows with magic. She loves the students but for some reason does not like the Headmaster; She thinks he is too concerned with his own agenda. I wonder what it is. Hogwarts isn’t prepared to tell me yet but if she does, I will let you know. I also think I will tell Professors Flitwick and Snape. She really likes them._

_I have to go, Daddy. I am meeting Harry Potter and the others to study in the library. They have all promised to help me with my homework if I need it. I don’t know if I will need it or not, but it would be silly to turn them down, considering the fact that they make up more than half, of the top ten smartest of their year._

_All my love,_

_Luna_

_…_

_Harry,_

_I am glad you and your friends are doing well. Keep trying to get Hermione to have fun, you are children after all. If you think this Hannah girl would benefit from your study group, perhaps you should pull her in a little at a time; invite her when you are working on her worst subject, and perhaps ask her for help in studying her best._

_I am so proud of you for standing up to bullies and helping someone in need. Perhaps your friend Daphne is correct and she is so special she sees what is beyond normal understanding. Whether Wrackspurts and Nargles are real or not should not matter, the only thing that matters, is that you accept this girl for who she is._

_I am also proud of you for taking the time to ask Remus about what bothered you. Sirius, as you said, is still healing, and may not be to the point in his life where he can regret his childhood actions; from the conversation we had, he has spent a great deal thinking about and regretting his actions as an adult. If Remus can regret their pranks, I am sure Sirius can get there eventually._

_Your Defense teacher concerns me. He really does not sound qualified to teach. If I am remembering correctly, he just used the same book as your previous teacher; maybe the only reason he assigned it is because it was used last year. I think you are right about him wanting to assign his own books, there is probably something in the schools’ bylaws preventing instructors from profiting off their students; it would be highly unethical. The worst offense in my opinion is the quiz. It is not a bad thing to give a quiz the first day to see where students are and what they maintained from the previous year, what is not alright is assigning a quiz about the teacher’s personal life – I think that breaks a few laws actually (students should not be privy to their professor’s private lives and vice versa). I think you should observe and take notes for the first month and if things do not go well you should approach the board like you did with of your history professor last year. If he does anything that is unsafe for students, I do want you to approach your Head of House and the Deputy Headmistress immediately!_

_Dudley has promised me he is going to focus on his studies this year. He is still obsessed with boxing and the only thing I like about it, is that his coach insists he keep a certain grade in every course, but because he is so competitive, Dudley insists he is going to get a level better in each class, which I love. Vernon got that promotion, as you know, so he is busier than before but I can tell he enjoys the new challenge. As for me, my house feels so very empty with all of the gentlemen in my life off doing great things._

_Please keep me informed about things in the castle. I may not be able to be there physically but I can be an ear, or in this case a set of eyes, for you to vent to. I miss you, sweet heart and can’t wait to see you at the holiday, now if only they weren’t months away._

_Aunt Petunia_

**Defense Professor’s Quarters**

Gilderoy Lockhart was frustrated. He had been absolutely furious when his new boss, Headmaster Dumbledore, had said he could not assign his own books to the students. How else was he supposed to make do? A teacher’s salary was pathetic. He hadn’t taken the job for the money, of course, he had taken it for the publicity and book sales. 

His books sold well, but that was mostly to house wives and women who found him charming. He did not do so well with the wizards of the world and no one in his field would give him the time of day. Because of this, he had hoped to make some strides into the younger generation by assigning his books and teaching them his methods. If he could only brain wash, no instruct, the next generation, then he could gain the respect he so obviously deserved.

As for the other reason, he just knew that his adoring fans would love him even more if he trained that poor Boy-Who-Lived. There was no one better to teach the boy. Gilderoy could instruct him in the ways of survival, sort of, and fame, absolutely. The boy really did need someone to teach him how to be famous. If Gilderoy had been the one to destroy You-Know-Who, he would have been selling autographs and merchandise right and left; it was what the people wanted.

So far, things had not been going as planned. Dumbledore, perhaps the only person in the castle besides himself who knew how to dress, had hired him, which was to be expected, but then he had changed his mind about the books. 

To make matters worse, when he saw Harry Potter at Diagon Alley, he was with the Greengrass family. Silas Greengrass scared the color out of him; he had actually worn black the next day he was so scared of the man, not that he looked bad in black but he had promised himself he would avoid the color after Hogwarts. So, despite seeing the boy in the book store, while he was doing a book signing that had gone smashingly, he had not been able to talk to him or get a picture taken with the boy. He had also not been able to speak to the Longbottom Heir, or the Bones girl as they were also with Greengrass; not that he had been all the concerned with speaking to the Bones girl, her Aunt was just as terrifying as Greengrass or was she more terrifying? No, Greengrass was worse, he was a Slytherin after all. Come to think of it, he was scared of Lady Augusta Longbottom too.

When the group left the shop, he had almost sighed in relief but had suddenly been overcome with a sense of dread. The source of his fear came in the form of Lady Dahlia Zabini, the man killer herself. Why hadn’t she been arrested for killing all of her husbands? Why had she been staring at him like that? Didn’t she know that he was a man’s man? Didn’t his impeccable fashion sense tell her all she needed to know? Wizards who dated witches did not know how to dress, though some dressed well, they just didn’t understand color. Wizards who dated wizards, however, they knew how to dress.

Gilderoy shuddered at the memory. Why were there so many terrifying people around him these days? His first staff meeting had not gone well, in his opinion. His former head of house was not as welcoming as he had hoped he would be. Professors McGonagall and Sprout had been almost as cold as Filius. The younger staff members, Burbage, Vector and Babbling, had shown no interest. Snape had been downright hostile. The only one who didn’t seem to want him gone was the crazy lady who taught Divination, she had called him handsome and said all his dreams would come true very soon. He was starting to think she was full of it. 

Gilderoy sighed heavily. It was time to speak to the Headmaster. He really needed to fix things. He made his way through the castle toward the Headmaster’s circular office, waving and smiling at the students as he passed them. He just loved when the young ladies swooned, but nothing beat the feeling of seeing a young man checking him out. 

Unfortunately for the defense professor, the male students were not studying his looks appreciatively, they were taking in his garish robes and ranking them from least offensive to most offensive. The blueish-purple robes he was currently wearing were actually scoring rather well, they were almost entirely accepted as normal, they would be better on a girl but they weren’t terrible. Now his orange-gold robes from the opening feast, those were utterly horrific.

The newest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher loved Albus’s office, though he thought the walls needed some better portraits. All those shiny objects just made Gilderoy smile. “Albus, I can’t teach with the lesson plan you presented me with. It is completely without style and unbefitting of Gilderoy Lockhart.”

The old man blinked, “My boy, I gave you those lesson plans as a guide, you need not follow them exactly. I know you have never taught children so I thought a reference would be useful.” He paused for a moment, “I love your robes, by the way. What an excellent shade of blue, they look almost purple in some lighting.”

Lockhart preened under the praise of his fashion sense. “Thank you, Albus. I must also complement you on your excellent eye. That shade of puce is just lovely. But back to the subject at hand, if I am able to write my own lessons, why can’t I assign my own books?”

“You can assign any text you like, so long as you are not the author and cannot profit from assigning it. The Hogwarts bylaws forbid professors from assigning their own texts, because it could look like they were attempting to take advantage of the students by choosing it. What would the parents think if they had to buy your texts for their children, and you were teaching? You will be making a salary as their instructor; you can’t profit from making them buy your books. Plus, with classes already in session, you can’t change now.”

The younger man opened his mouth, fully intending to inform the man just how unfair that all was, when he saw the portraits. They looked as though they were hanging on every word and none of them looked like they would side with him. “I suppose I see where that might upset some parents, Greengrass has it out of me and he would use it against me for sure.” Gilderoy nearly sighed in relief when he saw the displeasure cross some of the former headmaster’s faces. They wanted him to fail. “I will just have to use that uninspiring text and make my lessons that much more engaging so that the students aren’t bored.”

“That’s the spirit, my boy,” Albus stood with his enthusiasm. “Was there anything else?”

“No, Albus, I think speaking to you has cleared my clouded thoughts on the subject. I have a renewed sense of self and I assure you classes will be much better from tomorrow on.” He too stood with a flourish and turned for the door. “I must take my leave; I have inspiring lessons to write.”

“Good luck, my boy.”

Lockhart swept from the room with a bounce in his step, talking to himself about using his adventures in lessons. Due to his engrossment in his own thoughts, he did not hear Albus’s muttered ‘imbecile.’

**Staff Room – Hogwarts**

It was late. The castle was quiet and the students had long been in their houses, most, if not all, were already in their beds. The last patrol of the halls had been completed and most of the staff had returned to their quarters as well, some to read, some to grade papers, and some to sleep. There were some who had not returned to their quarters, in this case those who remained wished to speak without fear of being overheard so this late hour was necessary. 

Severus was not one for conversation with his colleagues, part of that was because most were his former teachers, it was also partially due to the fact that he was never really good at conversing with others. Things had changed somewhat for him in the last year; though he hated to admit it, Potter coming to Hogwarts had actually improved his life in the castle in terms of personal connections. He now talked with other members of the teaching staff, mostly the Ravenclaw members, and didn’t feel as though he was intruding if he happened to be in the staff room when others were around. There were more polite smiles in the halls and far fewer frowns aimed his way. 

“Have you discovered anything off about any of your students, Severus?” Filius wondered while holding his steaming cup of hot chocolate.

Severus put down his own cup of coffee, “I have felt nothing amiss with any of the second years that were in the compartment with Miss Parkinson. The problem is, a few of them always have a lingering feel of dark magic due to their father’s actions or possessions, it often takes a few weeks for the castle to overwhelm the feel of their home life.”

Filius nodded, it was not unheard of for clothing and a child’s magic to take on the feel of the ambient magic around them. Children from darker homes did tend to have a lingering darkness during the first month or so of class, and sometimes it took longer for students to lose that feeling in Slytherin house. “It is unfortunate that so many live in such homes; even more so when the ones we are watching are from those homes.”

“Indeed.”

“I have given the scans of your mark to the Goblins, and my cousin is having a member of the rituals department and a member of the curse breaking department, review them and look for counter measures. I was given no assurances but from what he inferred, those he assigned were quite excited to find the answer, as we so love to thwart our enemies, especially those who break so many laws of magic and nature.”

“Please give my thanks.”

“I have and I will again when next I am in Gringotts.” 

The two fell into a companionable silence, each drinking their liquid of choice for that hour. After a time Filius scrunched up his face, “I hope I am not bringing up a sore subject, but what are your thoughts about Mister Black’s release from Azkaban?”

Severus blinked in surprise, no one had thought to ask him about the subject, not even the headmaster and that was odd seeing as the old goat loved to stick his nose into the business of others. “I have mixed feelings,” he said after a moment of internal debate. “While I am no fan of Black, I do not believe that he deserved to live there while innocent. There are few, I feel, that are deserving of such a torment, his cousin and Pettigrew come to mind, but in this case, I am glad he is free of that darkness. On the other hand, I could live the rest of my life without seeing him and it would be too soon. Unfortunately, I fear he and I will see each other sooner than either of us would wish.”

“I thought you might feel something along those lines. My only hope, is that his time there has not damaged his mind beyond repair and that he uses his second chance to learn and grow.”

Severus could only nod. He had little faith that his school tormentor could act like a well-adjusted adult, let alone learn something about acceptance. “Rumor is, he is Mister Potter’s godfather, so will want to be involved in the boy’s life; how do you think that will affect the Potter boy?”

Filius took a sip of his hot chocolate, “I can only hope that Mister Black treads carefully. We do not know much about your former classmate and his capabilities; we do know Mister Potter. Harry is a remarkably mature young man, who knows how to relax and enjoy life when necessary. It worries me that Harry, at twelve, is more mature than my memory of Sirius Black at seventeen. The godson should not be taking care of the godfather.”

“I would have to agree with your sentiment. Harry reminds me a great deal of his mother, and she would wish to take care of an important person in her life.”

“Young Harry does seem to have a need to take care of others. First was apparently Mister Longbottom, Minerva spoke of her trip with the boys in Diagon Alley. Then Miss Granger and her incessant hand waving.” 

“Miss Greengrass who was determined to go friendless, and Mister Zabini who probably would have suffered due to his mother’s reputation.”

“Exactly, Severus,” Filius smiled, “I was worried about Miss Lovegood, her father’s reputation was causing some of her classmates to treat her poorly. I had planned a house meeting for tomorrow but things have drastically improved. Harry and his study group found Miss Lovegood being tormented by third years, and they stepped in and alerted Irma. Miss Granger has really been watching out for her in the common room since then, so the meeting will be more of a reminder and warning, than it would have been originally. It was very much like Lily Evans.” 

Both looked up quickly when the door opened and relaxed upon seeing Septima.

“Good evening, Filius, Severus,” the arithmancy professor said softly. “I was hoping to find the two of you here, and I agree that the situation with Miss Lovegood was concerning, until Mister Potter stepped in; that boy is paving the way for many of the students.”

“Please join us, Septima,” Filius said with a smile. 

“Would you like some tea?” Severus asked knowing that was her usual drink.

“That would be lovely, thank you.”

Filius studied the young professor while Severus prepared the tea for her. The Charms Master knew the Arithmancer was there for a reason and it was not the prejudice of the student body. “What is on your mind this evening?”

She smiled at Severus when he handed her a cup of tea and took a quick sip. “I wanted to talk to you about Mister Potter, something other than his ability to see past house colors to make friends.”

“Harry?” Filius wondered.

“Yes. I didn’t say anything before because I was so much more concerned with the dark magic in his scar but, when I scanned him, I got the impression that there was a facet to his magic that remained untouched, a facet that few would recognize or understand.”

“What did you sense, Septima?”

She looked to the dark man, “I could be wrong but I think he may have an aspect of Mage Sight”

“You think he can see magic?” Filius wondered.

She shook her head hesitantly, “Not necessarily. Mage Sight isn’t really explained well in texts as so few have it and honestly, I don’t like the fact that some aspects are classified as Mage Sight. Most think that in order to have Mage Sight, you have to be exceptionally powerful; I can assure you that is false as I am average at best in the active magics. It is also assumed that all individuals who have Mage Sight, have the same exact gift but that too is incorrect, it isn’t even necessarily tied to sight. My own version is related to the eyes; I can see magic when I focus or it reaches certain levels of intensity. When I returned to Hogwarts the first time after exploring my gift, I was nearly blinded by her vast stores of magic tied to the earth and feeding the wards. There are others, however, that are not tied to the eyes but are considered a version of the Sight. He could feel it on his skin or hear it when it is cast. I have even heard that some could feel the very rhythm of magic, like the base beat of a song.”

“Could one smell magic?”

She smiled at the smallest professor, “I actually met a man who could smell magic, or at least he claimed to. He told me that healing magic smelled like plants and dark magic smelled like burning flesh, which actually made some sense though I really don’t want to know why he knew what burning flesh smelled like. Anyway, I started watching him when I could, mostly during meals as he can’t take my class yet, and I get the impression that he can sense something most can’t.”

“What is it that you observed that lead you to this conclusion?”

“It was something that happened with the Weasley twins, actually. I doubt you would remember, but the twins made a huge production out of asking him to identify them by name, including running out of the room and spinning him in circles so that he was disoriented. Each and every time Mister Potter named the twins correctly.”

“I believe Misters Weasley indicated that only one member of their family was capable of telling them apart and the rest guessed,” Severus added, somewhat remembering the occasion.

Her smile grew bigger, “Yes, they did. One of them, I think it was George, said that Bill was the only one who got it right every time, and I know for a fact that William Weasley has Mage Sight, though his grasp of it is extremely limited. It was discovered in my class actually. William described it as being able to tell the difference between the magic within a person. I know that you can record magical signatures with the right spell and eventually, you get to learn the feel of a person’s signature with the spell, but Bill could sense the feel of the magic, even when they didn’t cast magic. He also said he could sometimes tell who was behind him based solely on how their magic felt, as long as he was familiar with the person.”

“It is a possibility,” Severus conceded. “Being able to sense magic is often helpful in potions and Mister Potter is the best in his year and is better than most in the year above him; he has an innate understanding of the subject, that could be attributed to sensing the progression of magic within the brewing process.”

Filius nodded as well, “I have a feeling that sensing magic would come in handy in my class as well. William Weasley was one of the best during his tenure here and Harry is much the same. He often performs spells on his first attempt, I had attributed it to his study habits, but this could also be a factor in his success.”

“Is there a way to determine if he does in fact have a form of Mage Sight?”

She nodded somewhat hesitantly, “Yes, but it isn’t always easy or definitive, because it relies so much on the individual. There is no spell you can cast that will tell you one way or the other, that a wizard does have the sight; there are spells that inform of the possibility. Determining what kind of Sight is exceptionally difficult, as only the wizard in question can describe what they feel. I know of a few variations and studied up on them as I was interested, and Arithmancy is one of the subjects that the Sight is very useful for. I would like to talk to Mister Potter and determine if, and what kind, he has and perhaps help him develop it as I think he will need it in the future.”

Severus had to agree but wondered why she thought so. “Is there a particular reason you think he may need this knowledge?”

She bit her lip, “Well, what happened with Quirrell last year was an eye opener. I never put much stock in Divination, but Arithmancy can be used to predict the flow of power and magic. All of my calculations have magic converging on him sooner rather than later; it kills me that a child might have to face what adults are afraid to even speak of. We should have dealt with this darkness that still lingers, but we didn’t and I think fate, and many of our countrymen, are waiting for Mister Potter to fix the world. I want to help him because I will not hide behind a child.”

“I couldn’t agree more. It is disturbing, the way many think an infant had the ability, and thought processes, to defeat a wizard of the Dark Lord’s power and knowledge. He was, no is a man with a wealth of knowledge beyond most, and he searched in places no one should ever search, in order to get that knowledge. To survive the death of the body is an abomination of magic, a crime against life, and yet he did; no child would or could, have the ability to counter that without help from magics just as ancient and profoundly powerful.”

“It was Lily,” Filius said quietly. “She is the reason he lived. A mother will sacrifice herself for her child and she would be appalled, with the way certain people think he is their savior. A child should be allowed to be a child. There may come a time, when he has to fight and I will prepare him to the best of my ability, but I will stand in the way of all who would do him harm, until the very end.”

“I don’t have the power, or spell knowledge, to make a difference in a fight but I can instruct people on ways to improve their own power. I can see the shifts in magic and something is coming. I don’t want to face that darkness again. We can’t face that again with the way we are. Everything is too divided, even the school is divided more than it should be. Rivalry over quidditch is one thing but we shouldn’t see fights over tie colors or blood status.” She sighed, “Harry Potter shouldn’t be expected to know how to fix things, he shouldn’t be fawned over for something I doubt he remembers, but that is exactly what most of the witches and wizards who don’t know him do.”

“I will set up a time for Mister Potter to meet with you and I, Septima,” Filius said with a smile. “I agree that this is something he would find helpful and would like to know more about how to identify this gift, so that I might spot it in the future.”

**Black Mausoleum**

Of course, it was raining. 

Sirius stood under the roof of the Black Family Mausoleum, located at Black Manor in South Whales. The Mausoleum had stood on the property for longer than the manor house had, and every Black, that hadn’t been cast from the family, had been entombed there since the property had been purchased. Had he died during the war against Voldemort, Sirius doubted he would have been buried with his forefathers, his mother hated him after all, but Regulus was his mother’s favorite and had been placed with his family, even though they never recovered a body. 

“I’m sorry, Reggie.”

Sirius ran a hand through his wet hair as he stared at his brother’s name. 

“I wish I knew what made you turn. Was it the Horcrux? Or was it the murder and torture?” He sighed. “Could I have saved you if I had paid more attention? If I shielded you from her, could I have stopped this? Was there something I could had done to prevent you from taking the Mark in the first place?”

Thunder boomed but Sirius didn’t hear it.

“I have been coming to realize that I ran from basically all of my problems, I couldn’t do anything about mom, but I could have still tried with you. I should have written after I got sorted into Gryffindor. I should have talked to you about you and your interests, instead of how great James was when I came home after first year. I shouldn’t have pranked you and your friends every week your first year. I should have taken you with me when I ran. I should have listened. I should have protected you.

“You know, Reggie, I did nothing but fail the people I should have protected. First you, then James and Lily and then Harry. I was so caught up in my own head and my own twisted ideas on how things should be that I didn’t stop to think. I never stopped to think. I mean, what self-respecting light wizard tells a teenager to go somewhere, when he knows that place will lead to a Werewolf. To make matters worse, that Werewolf was one of that ‘light’ wizard’s closest friends. I almost got a classmate and a friend killed because of my pride.”

“I would say not to be so hard on yourself, but I do the same thing so don’t really think I have room to talk. Plus, that supposed prank you pulled on Snape still angers me.”

Sirius didn’t have to turn to know Remus was behind him. He was actually surprised the werewolf had waited this long to approach. “Could I have done anything to save my baby brother?”

“I don’t know, Padfoot. We made choices and we have to live with the consequences of those choices. Regulus was treated like a prince by your mother half the time, and we don’t know what it was like the other half. He seemed happy at school and he gave as good as he got. We can’t spend all of our time thinking about the ‘what if’s’. If we did, we could end up missing what is going on right now.” Remus put a hand on his shoulder, “I wish I could change a lot of what happened, but I am more concerned about Harry.”

Sirius nodded, “I couldn’t save James and I didn’t know Reggie needed saving, but I will protect Harry. I won’t take him from his family even though I wish he could be my kid all the time; he has convinced me that he is happy with Petunia, which I will admit surprises me a great deal, considering how she used to be. I will be there for him. I’m going to teach him all about wizarding culture and the old families, even the stuff I think is stupid, I’ll take him to quidditch games and teach him how to be an Animagus if he wants. Harry is all that matters now.”

“We will honor those we lost, by making sure this evil doesn’t have a chance. Everything we do, we do for Harry and the future,” Remus nodded resolutely. 

The last Black male nodded and placed his hand against his brother’s name, “Your actions bring honor to the House of Black, little brother. I hope I can live up to your example by doing everything in my power to end this darkness.” He turned to his last remaining friend, “I think it is time for me to grow up Remus. It is time for me to take responsibility and do everything I can to prevent a repeat of what killed our family. I wish I had paid more attention to all those lessons about being ‘Lord Black’ when I was younger, I think the best way for me to prevent another war is to become Lord Black.” He closed his eyes, “I hope I can do this, no, I have to do this because if I don’t, I will regret more than I already do. Will you help me, Remus?”

Remus smiled, “I am behind you every step of the way, Sirius. Anything you need from me; all you have to do is ask.” 

**Hogwarts**

He wasn’t quite sure why he felt the need to be up here but he did. It was a Saturday and it was still nice enough outside, that anyone with any sense was spending the day out on the grounds. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, he knew there were silly Claws buried under books in the library, but that wasn’t the point. It wasn’t raining and even if it was raining, he would probably be outside because that was who he was. 

He much preferred to avoid the castle during the weekends because someone was always asking if they had finished their homework. He didn’t do homework on Saturday. He tried not to do any school work on weekends; for him, Saturday and Sunday were rest days. If he didn’t rest his brain, he might just explode.

Because of his tendencies, he was confused as to why he felt the need to be on the seventh floor, all alone. He also wasn’t sure why he was so fascinated with that particular painting. Sure, it was kind of amusing watching trolls do ballet but that was only amusing for a few seconds and then it was just boring again. 

He paced back and forth, back and forth, in front of that painting, the whole time wondering why he was there. 

Something caught his eye. There was a door. It wasn’t a memorable door by any means. It was brown like any other wood door he had ever seen. The door wasn’t ornate or even decorated at all. It was just a wooden door. 

Had it been there before?

Normally, he wasn’t a curious guy. Today, it appeared he was. Odd.

He reached out and opened the door. On the other side, there weas mountains of stuff. If he had to describe it, he would call all the stuff junk. There was broken furniture, books, fanged Frisbees, clothes and trunks. Just inside the door there was a rather large pile of empty sherry bottles and then there were the paintings. All the stuff was old and dusty.

On any other day, this would not have interested him; on that day, a part of him was utterly drawn to the rubbish. 

He made his way through the room. He somehow knew where he needed to go, because he was definitely headed somewhere. He passed shiny things and dusty things. He ignored books and furniture. He didn’t look twice at a collection of swords, despite always wanting one. Who cares about brooms? The new Quaffle didn’t interest him and neither did the beater’s bat. The only thing of any interest was the girly tiara siting on one of those stone statue heads. 

He was a guy, a guy who didn’t like jewelry but he really wanted to touch that tiara. Reaching out, stretching his fingers toward the glittery head-dressing, he paused in thought. Why was he there at all? Why was he so focused on the tiara? His mind clouded and his questions disappeared; it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the diadem. Why did he know that word? 

Rising up on his toes, his fingers wrapped around the desired item. He sucked in a relieved breath and pulled it tight to his chest, cradling it like a baby. There were no worries now. 

He looked around suspiciously. It would not be good if anyone else saw his most treasured possession, they would try to steal it and then he would have to hurt them. He wasn’t opposed to hurting anyone, though for some reason that thought seemed strange and violent to him, but it wasn’t time to draw attention to himself. No, causing pain was for later; now was the time for planning. 

The young man pulled open his robes and tucked the diadem into a small bag he had tied around his neck. Now he knew why he had decided to bring the bag. A part of him had known that he would need to protect his treasure.

With a last wicked grin, the boy stepped out into the main halls of the castle. He didn’t look back but he knew the door he had just exited had faded back into the stone as soon as it had closed behind him. The castle would protect him, that he knew because she had done it before. She had shared that room with him and him alone. She wanted him to finish what he had started so long ago. 

It was a good thing that it was a Saturday, he had things to do and a great lady to visit. He hoped she had missed him.

**Hogwarts**

Harry and Hermione were walking down the corridor, on their way to the library during their free period; their Gryffindor and Slytherin friends would be joining them after their defense class. Neither were particularly happy with the choice in defense professor because he seemed more concerned with his hair and book sales than actually imparting a lesson, it had been this that angered Hermione most. They had been discussing what to do about the teacher, perhaps another petition, but had come to realize that they couldn’t do anything just yet. While Lockhart was a blowhard, he had assigned a smart text for the class and seemed to assign proper readings for class. They had decided to wait and see, if he did something dangerous or failed to actually teach during class then they would act. Daphne, Blaise and Neville were going to let them know how their defense class went when they met in the library.

“I just can’t believe he gave us a quiz about himself!”

“That was last week, Hermione, and you have been complaining about it ever since.”

“It is outrageous, Harry. I can’t believe you aren’t complaining about it.”

“I did complain about it, I even told my aunt about it, but I know nothing is going to change by complaining about it to you or Neville,” he gave her a pointed look.

She blushed sheepishly, “Sorry, Harry. I am trying to be better but you know how I take my education.”

“I completely agree that our education is important, all I ask is that you keep your complaints constructive and wait until we have more information before you continue to complain.”

“Oh, alright, but I reserve the right to complain loudly after our next class with the peacock.”

“Agreed, I will be…”

The two paused then the heard a scream coming from the left, in the direction of the defense classroom. A moment later, Gilderoy Lockhart, supposed Order of Merlin Third Class, came running out of the room with what looked like pixies in his hair and a few more chasing him while snickering. He was screaming the whole time, in a tone that rather resembled Ron Weasley when he saw spiders.

They looked at each other in unison and rushed toward the classroom. Second years wearing either red or green ties spilled out of the classroom using their belongings as shields as they did, pushing the Ravenclaw duo out of the way in the process. Three of the students peeled off and stepped next to their friends.

“What happened, Nev?” Harry asked his best friend.

“That bloody idiot had a cage of Cornish Pixies.” Neville shook his head in anger.

“Language, Neville,” Daphne interrupted, “It was blatantly obvious that the pixies were agitated as they were shaking the bars of the cage.”

“He gave the barest introduction, I believe it was something along the lines of ‘these are Cornish Pixies, have fun with them,’ and he released them.”

Neville nodded along with Blaise’s assessment, “They swarmed out and started attacking the idiot, took his wand, chucked it out the window and everything.”

“They also removed his hair,” Blaise said with a smirk. “Though he did manage to get his hands on it and force it back on his head before he ran out telling us to deal with it.”

“Everyone just decided to take his example and run for it but the remaining pixies were attacking us too.”

“Is anyone left inside?” Harry wondered.

“Parkinson was cowering in a corner while a few of them played with her hair, I believe two were braiding while the third was attempting to tie her hair to her chair.” It was hard to miss Daphne’s smirk.

“Weasley is hanging from the chandelier. I think Crabbe, Goyle and Bulstrode are still in there as well.”

“Well, looks like we are going to have to go help them,” Harry said with some reluctance. “Who want to get Weasley down?”

“I think you should, Harry,” Hermione said after a moment, “you have more strength and a better handle on the levitation spell. Daphne and I can help Parkinson.”

“Blaise and I will work at getting the pixies back into their cage.”

“I believe Immobulous would be best,” Blaise added. 

Harry rolled his shoulders, “Let’s get this over with.”

“Bright side, Harry,” Hermione said with a wicked smile, “I think we can take this to the professors, as a serious complaint against Lockhart’s continued employment.”

Neville smiled as well, “And if that doesn’t get him fired, we can go to the board again. If things go our way, Lockhart will be out of here by the first week of October.”

Harry grinned, yeah that was a bright side to him having to help out the most annoying Weasley.


	19. The Perils of Teaching

**Unused Classroom, Hogwarts**

Though the classroom was unused, it was not covered in dust like one would expect. This classroom still had much of the furniture that was used when the room was occupied by classes and the furniture was in good condition as well. 

There had been many students who stumbled upon empty classrooms throughout the years; they used those classrooms for one reason or another. Some used it for studying, some for experimenting. Others used the classrooms for rendezvous with people outside their Houses. This classroom was found by two second year students; one Ravenclaw and one Gryffindor. Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom had gone looking for a place that was unoccupied with little to no chance of visitors, not to cause trouble but because they didn’t want just anyone knowing what they were studying. With the aid of a castle Elf, they had a nice place to come together to do what they wished to do uninterrupted.

“How has the research been going, Harry?”

Harry tapped the book in his hand absently while gathering his thoughts. “It’s fascinating really. Like all magic, Parselmagic has the potential to do good or bad depending on intention. From what I understand, there is a greater chance of achieving the intended result than regular magics.”

“How so?”

“The section on introductory casting said that, in general, there are no real spells and that to cast magic one only needs to know how to phrase Parseltongue to activate the magic within and around you.”

“So, is Parselmagic more like ritual spells?”

Harry nodded slowly, “Yes, in that it is more about invoking magic with structured phrasing but also not because it doesn’t involve circles or the sacrifice of anything other than internal magic or ambient power.”

“Does it tell you how you know if you are speaking or hearing it? You did say you weren’t aware you were hearing anything other than English when you spoke to snakes in the past.”

“Apparently, that comes with maturity and practice. The younger you discover the gift, the better. It takes a great deal of practice in order to recognize the difference before you reach magical maturity and people mature at different rates so the book claims that without practice the most powerful people with the gift may not realize they are speaking Parseltongue until well into their twenties.”

Neville nodded, “Is there any way I can help you practice?”

“The only way to practice is to switch back and forth between Parseltongue and English; if I can get a snake to practice with you could definitely help me. I would need you to tell me when I fail to switch to the proper language.”

“Where are we going to find a snake?”

“Do you think there are any portraits with snakes that would be willing to talk to me?”

“Possibly, though I’m not sure where any are. You could ask Daphne or Blaise if they know were a snake portrait is. If they don’t know, maybe Professor Snape would be willing to tell you where one is.”

“Should I tell them why I want to know?”

Neville thought about it for a moment, “I think you can trust Daphne and Blaise to think rationally about you being a Parseltongue. Honestly, I think all of our friends would be fine with it, I just don’t know if Draco would be able to hold his tongue if he was angry.”

“I thought the same.” 

Harry looked down at the book he had purchased the previous year over the Yule Holiday. He had read the book through so many times he could almost quote sections. He hadn’t spoken to anyone about it until now because he really wanted to understand what the book was saying. It wasn’t like he could ask someone to read a section and give their interpretation after all. He was the only one who saw anything other than squiggles when he looked at the pages. 

He had looked around Flourish and Blotts over the summer, looking for other books written in Parseltongue, but hadn’t found any. He was desperate for more information. “Where can I find more books on Parseltongue?” he wondered absently.

“That I don’t know. I’m assuming you looked in the library, and beyond that there are just personal libraries and shops in Knockturn Alley and I don’t think either idea is helpful right now.”

Harry nodded. “Maybe I should talk to Daphne and Blaise.” 

“Maybe you should talk to Daphne and Blaise? Why not talk to the Terrible Two?”

Harry and Neville turned to find the twins in the doorway. “Hey guy,” Harry smiled, “how did you find us?”

Fred grinned while George shrugged, “We may have borrowed something from a certain Ravenclaw at breakfast this morning without telling him.”

“In preparation for a prank.”

“And while examining this item, we saw the two of you alone in an unused classroom.”

“Being concerned older students, we decided to check up on you.”

“See if there was anything bothering you.”

“Other than terrible defense teachers.”

“Because we are also concerned older brothers.”

Neville was shacking his head in amusement when Harry answered. “Everything is fine, guys. We’re going to see professor McGonagall later today; this is something different.” He looked at Neville, then back at the twins. “I’ve been studying a book here so I don’t scare anyone.”

“A BOOK,” Fred gasped.

“Oh, the horror.”

“How could he, George? A Ravenclaw reading a book; is there anything more terrifying?” Both were using exaggerated tones, grasping at their chests or placing a hand on their head as if they were about to faint.

Harry rolled his eyes, “It’s not that it’s a book but the contents of that book that I am trying to keep hidden.”

The redheaded twins plonked down on a table, “What, are you studying blood rituals or something?”

“Trying to raise the dead?”

“Sacrifices?”

Instead of answering, Harry handed the book to the twins. Of course, considering the subject, they couldn’t read what it said or even tell what it was. 

“You’re trying to learn gibberish?” Fred wondered.

George, however, was studying the writing closely. “Harry, is this…” he trailed off studying the cover with extreme focus. “Tell me, Fred, do any of these symbols look serpent like?”

Fred looked back down at the book and shrugged, “I guess. Could just be a kid’s doodles though.”

“Fred, Harry is trying to be serious. There are snakes on the cover too.” He handed the book back to his adopted brother while Fred mouthed an apology, “Are you a Parselmouth Harry?”

The dark haired second year nodded sheepishly. “I’ve only told Neville; actually, I only found out because of Neville. I found the book while shopping for Hermione’s Christmas present last year; when Neville saw it and realized I could read it, he figured it out.”

Fred jumped down from the table and placed his hands on Harry’s shoulders, “Thank you for trusting us with this.”

“If you were discussing whether or not to share with your other friends when we came in,” George added, “I think you should. Daphne, Hermione and Blaise would help you without question.”

“Is there anything we can do?”

“Do you have access to a snake or know if there are any portraits with snakes in them?” Neville asked.

“Can’t help with the actual snake,” Fred shrugged. “Unless you want to buy one; I could probably smuggle one in during the next Hogsmeade visit.”

“But there are a few portraits with snakes in them,” George finished. “Most are by the Slytherin common room. And Fred, if he wanted to own a snake, I think he should be the one to pick it out; I am sure they would have a nice conversation about something to determine if their personalities meshed well.”

“One is outside Professor Snape’s quarters. You are of course correct brother.”

“Daphne and Blaise might know someone with a pet snake but asking to see their snake might get complicated.”

“Daphne is deviously Slytherin, so she might be able to work something out.”

“Have you considered talking to Remus and Sirius about this?” George asked quietly.

Harry shook his head, “I don’t know what to say. I kind of feel like this is the kind of thing you tell someone in person. I’m also not sure how they would take it. Neville said Parseltongue doesn’t have a great reputation and I am just getting to know them; I don’t really want to lose them.”

“Harry,” Fred sighed, “Yes, there are people out there who fear things simply based on a reputation but I do you honestly think that Sirius and Remus would walk out on you for something you didn’t even know you had until a year ago?” 

George put an arm around his brother’s shoulder, “Remus tried to write to you for years; he won’t leave you now. Sirius’s first question upon his freedom was when he could see you.”

“People who actually deserve to be in your life aren’t going to care.” Neville smiled, “We are your friends, your family. You are who you are not because of your abilities but what you chose to do with them.”

“So, as long as you don’t try to take over the world in the name of Salazar Slytherin, the fact that you are a Parselmouth just means you have an interesting gift.” 

Harry snorted at Fred’s scenario; he really did have great friends. “I’ll talk to them; I’m not going to tell Draco, Susan or Luna yet but the rest, absolutely. Neville’s right, Draco hasn’t yet learned to hold his tongue when flustered; Susan and Luna aren’t as close to us yet.” He opened his bag and pushed the Parseltongue book in with his school books, “I’ll make sure to tell Remus and Sirius the next time I see them. I am actually going to think about owning a snake; that might be really awesome.” He grinned, “For now, we are supposed to meet up with the others in about ten minutes.”

**Hogwarts**

Minerva McGonagall was exhausted. Her life had been getting more challenging as Albus did less and less of the work for the school but the last school year had been so much worse. Not only was she handling the budget, the parents and the teachers but she also got stuck with board correspondence and the near constant issues with the ministry. Why couldn’t those people function without the headmaster? Of course, it didn’t help that they had needed to find two teachers before winter holidays the previous year. 

That wasn’t even considering what Quirrell did and Hogwarts’ warnings. She was mentally preparing herself for Albus to be expelled from the castle. He was lucky to keep his job after the incident with their possessed defense professor and the death of young mister Higgs. She really needed to think about finding a professor who could take her place as Head of Gryffindor House. 

If she wasn’t careful, Albus would take her with him. With the way the start of the term was going, she wasn’t sure how long any of them would last.

Gilderoy Lockhart was the bane of her existence. He was irritating in every way imaginable; from his need for attention, to his horribly garish wardrobe. She couldn’t remember him being that self-absorbed in school but then again, she hadn’t been his head of house and she had already been taking over much of Albus’s work so had little time to deal with average student’s outside her house. She honestly felt bad for Filius.

It was a weekend and traditionally that meant she would be working on paperwork, grading papers, and trying in vain to get Albus to do his job. On this particular Saturday, however, she had had nothing but students in her office complaining about their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She really couldn’t blame them either. 

The Deputy Headmistress had some complaints about the first day of class, mostly from fifth- and seventh-year students worried about the end of the year exams, their tests were much more important than the regular end of year exams. Ravenclaw students had also been very vocal about their displeasure. She had taken note of the so-called quiz and asked the students to give it a few more classes, it sometimes took a few classes for new teachers to find their way. Most of the students had been alright with that. 

Lockhart’s personal quiz was the least of their worries at this point.

Her second year Lions and the second-year snakes had a terrible class that week. Gilderoy Lockhart had introduced the students to Cornish Pixies. That should have been fine, they were just Cornish Pixies, but in what she was coming to realize was true Gilderoy fashion, the lesson had fallen apart in moments. All of her lions had been in here, even Ronald Weasley who could honestly care less about his grades, complaining about the lesson. Pixies attacking students and even hanging one from a chandelier was absolutely unacceptable.

She signed when there was yet another knock on her door. “Come in.”

The door was opened to reveal Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini and the only second year Gryffindor she hadn’t already seen that morning, Neville Longbottom. Behind them were Filius and Severus. 

Fantastic.

“Good afternoon, Professor,” Harry Potter smiled at her, “could we have a moment of your time?”

She glanced at the other heads of house and nodded, “Of course, please come in.” Minerva waved her wand, conjuring a few extra chairs so that each of the students would have a seat; with another wave of her wand she had tea brewing as well as a pot of coffee for Severus. “Might this be about our illustrious Defense Professor?” The children nodded while Severus smirked and Filius had the audacity to stifle a giggle. “Who would like to start then?” she asked with a sigh.

The students exchanged glances before Miss Greengrass straightened. “We assume that you have been approached about the oddities happening within the defense lessons this year, starting with the quiz that asked nothing about the course and everything about the professor,” the young Slytherin paused for Minerva’s nod. “Our study group decided to take a wait and see attitude in terms of this action because it was only the first class and the assigned text was more than adequate. After the events of the last Gryffindor/Slytherin lesson, we can no longer wait in silence.”

It was Neville who spoke next, “To briefly describe events, Lockhart showed us a cage of agitated pixies and then released them. He was then attacked by those same pixies, who threw his wand out the window and pulled the toupee from his head; the next thing any of us knew, he was running from the room screaming for us to deal with them.”

“That was when Hermione and I arrived,” Minerva had heard about the pixies and Lockhart’s retreat from other students but had not heard about the Ravenclaw students’ arrival. “We were walking down the corridor during free period and heard Lockhart’s scream. We knew his voice and knew our friends were in his class that period so we went to see if they were alright.”

“When we arrived, most of the class was running out the door and down the hall, I am not even sure any of them even noticed us. Daphne, Blaise and Neville stopped to inform us of what had transpired,” Hermione Granger looked to the others, perhaps asking permission to continue. “we decided together to help the few students that remained in the class and formed a plan based on our strengths.”

“Harry has more power and control than the rest of us,” the young Zabini boy sounded board, “so he was to get Weasley down from the chandelier. Daphne and Hermione actually have long hair so could properly help Parkinson, who was being tied to a desk with her hair by a couple of pixies. Neville and I were to corral the pixies that were destroying things and cornering the Crabbe, Goyle and Bulstrode.”

Ah, so that was how things were cleaned up, Minerva mused. She then turned her attention to Filius, knowing he would have something more to do with this. 

The half goblin grinned, “Mister Potter came to get me once the pixies were contained and I checked the students over and cleaned up the mess. None of the students seemed harmed but I did have Mister Longbottom escort them to the infirmary for a check-up, just to be safe. A few older students found the pixies that had followed Lockhart and handed them over to Professor Kettleburn. Professor Snape arrived while I was cleaning the office and giving my curious ravens an impromptu lesson on repairing things, the majority of his students had run strait to him after escaping and he was coming to check on those that had not.”

“I was also going to confront the idiot,” Minerva tried not to scowl too much at the name calling, Severus could have called the man worse. “He should not have released the pixies in the first place, not to mention the fact that he did not know how to counter them once released. The man should not be teaching. All of my students have filed complaints with me,” he pulled a pile of papers from one of his robe pockets and handed them to her. “My Slytherins would like Lockhart removed from his position or at the very least, tested for competency.”

Minerva looked at the five students sitting before her, “Would you all like to file formal complaints as well?” Each of the five pulled sheets of parchment from their robes and handed them to their Deputy Headmistress. She now had formal complaints from more than half of the second-year students and a handful of older students connected to those second years in some way, she expected those who had complained before to return to her office within the next few hours as well. Had she not already been planning to sack the man, this would have signed his termination, unless of course Albus stopped her from handing the man his walking papers.

“Rest assured, this incident will be investigated closely and appropriate action taken.”

It was Neville who responded, “Thank you, Professor. I have sent a letter describing the incident to my grandmother with a note saying we were going to the professors. I have asked her to hold off approaching the rest of the board until the teaching staff has had a chance to address the matter.”

If Minerva was not mistaken, the children had rehearsed what they planned to say through out this meeting. Some of them, mister Longbottom in particular, sounded far too rehearsed and too well thought out for a twelve-year-old. “If things do not pan out the way I wish, I will be approaching the board myself, Mister Longbottom.” She studied each of the children for a moment, “is there anything else you wished to discuss with me?”

“No, Professor,” Mister Potter stood while speaking. “That was all we had, if you have no other questions for us, we have a study session in the library shortly and some of us still need to get our supplies.”

The group of second years filed out of the room, leaving the three Heads of House. “I suppose you have some other business to discuss with me?” Minerva certainly hoped there was nothing more to add to this incident with Lockhart.

It was Filius who answered, though she thought the answer was something that Severus was more likely to say, well, the nice version of what Severus would have said. “I am still concerned by Albus’s actions of late.”

A part of her, the part that had been Albus’s student and later apprentice, wanted to defend the Headmaster and deny any reason for concern. The educator, however, knew there was much to be concerned about, especially when she remembered the castle’s warnings. “Unfortunately, I too have been concerned and startled by Albus’s decisions on a number of subjects. What has enticed you to speak to me again of your concerns?”

“Many of the events of the last school year,” Severus said simply.

“Particularly the Stone and Quirrell. Then there is his appointment of Gilderoy, I attempted to remind him that Gilderoy was an intellectual student but was not particularly talented in magics and was a poor defense student, especially practically.”

“Harry Potter.” Severus, again, gave a short, simple answer.

Filius nodded, “Albus seems oddly interested in Mister Potter. Now that might be because of his surviving but he does not ask how the boy is dealing with his sudden fame, having grown up in the muggle world, he is more concerned with why he was sorted into my house as opposed to yours and keeps asking if he really fits in with my Ravens. Albus does not particularly like his friends from Ravenclaw and Slytherin, is only tolerant of young Miss Bones and is accepting of Mister Longbottom but keeps insisting that Ronald Weasley would be a great friend for him. He does not seem to remember, or actively forgets, that Harry is quite friendly with Fred and George Weasley.”

Minerva raised an eyebrow at that, this was a new angle, “What makes Albus think that Ronald and Harry would get along? While I am fond of the Weasleys in general, though Fred and George drive me to distraction, Ronald is not the best example of what his family has to offer. He is, unfortunately a lazy student and Harry is an exceptionally dedicated student. I doubt they would get along for more than an afternoon.”

“I quite agree, which is why it is so odd. Severus, despite his aversion to Mister Potter’s father, finds Harry to be an intelligent and respectful child, reminiscent of his mother; he curses Ronald Weasley almost more than he does the twins.”

“Was it really necessary to bring James Potter into this?” Severus wondered with a scowl. “I will admit that I am rather pleased with Harry Potter and that I do, grudgingly, prefer the twins over Ronald. The twins don’t blow up cauldrons in my class.”

“No, they save that for empty classrooms,” Minerva grumbled. She shook her head, “was there anything else of concern?”

“I wonder if Albus will allow you to dismiss Gilderoy,” Filius smirked in a way that was rather terrifying on his usually jovial face.

Minerva sighed, she was afraid he would put up a fight as well. “I plan to speak to him and tell him what I am prepared to do. If he doesn’t allow this, I might just ask Vindictus what the castle thinks.”

“Vindictus?”

She smirked at the potions master, “I would have thought you would have known who he was, he was a potioneer and former headmaster. Vindictus Viridian is perhaps the most obnoxious portrait in the Headmaster’s office and he enjoys being rude and insulting to every headmaster that graces the office. Albus hates him and he is the first to point out Albus’s many mistakes. The Castle was very irritated with the incidents of last year, and I am sure Vindictus has been using those mistakes to terrorize Albus relentlessly. And, quite frankly, Albus will not have a say in the matter; if he does not agree, I will go straight to the board and you heard Mister Longbottom. Augusta Longbottom will not allow something like this to go unpunished, Albus will have to be made aware that she will be more than ready to sink her teeth into him. The many formal complaints combined with the potential harm to the students only has one option, and that is loss of position.”

Filius and Severus shared a look, and it surprised Minerva that the look seemed to be a conversation; she was completely unaware that they had formed that strong of a relationship.

“If you need any help, Minerva,” Filius said while sliding to his feet, “you have only to ask. Severus and I both agree that changes need to be made and we are prepared to fight Albus to protect the students.” Severus nodded and then they both left her office. 

It was going to be a challenging week.

**Second Floor**

Gilderoy Lockhart was not a happy man. 

This year was supposed to be good for him. He was going to make more money than usual in book sales, because every Hogwarts student would have to buy all his books for class. This was denied by the Headmaster. He was going to shape the minds of the children with the most familial influence and the ones with the most potential influence for the future. Those students wanted nothing to do with him and he had no idea why. He was going to find a new topic to write about. Why was nothing interesting happening this year? Couldn’t he have been there when there was a possessed teacher? That would have made an amazing book. Harry Potter was going to be his ticket into the hearts of those he hadn’t been able to snare in the past. Harry Potter was worse than the rest of the students. He was going to show those kids how to dress, he was best dressed after all. Why did the Headmaster have to have such a great collection of robes?

To make matters worse, some of the students learned that his hair was only as perfect as it was because he wore a toupee. Additionally, he was humiliated by pixies of all things. But no, the worst of it was the damn pixies had lost him his job.

He had just come from the Dumbledore’s office. He thought the meeting would be about how wonderfully he was doing; oh, how wrong he had been. 

When he saw Minerva, he should have known things would not go his way; she was just so jealous of his fame and talent for teaching. His second clue should have been the lack of color in Dumbledore’s wardrobe, gray really wasn’t the Headmaster’s color. The smugly smiling portraits were the kicker though.

All the headmaster had said was, “I’m sorry, my Boy, I am going to have to break our contract for the year.” Gilderoy wasn’t entirely sure what he had said in response to that. The headmaster had said something about his lesson plans not meeting standard and the pixie incident and then apologized. 

Lockhart saw right through all that though. They were jealous, every single one of them.

Dumbledore was envious of his robes.

McGonagall wished she was as famous.

Severus was jealous of Gilderoy’s hair and pleasing face.

Flitwick hated being that short.

The Witches teaching Astronomy, Runes and Arithmancy were upset that they couldn’t win his heart. 

Sprout, Hooch and Pomfrey were jealous of his youth.

The students just knew they would never achieve half of what Gilderoy Lockhart had so they had begged to be rid of him, to be rid of the future shame.

As a result, he was out of a job.

Gilderoy had left the office in a daze. How could they have done this to him after only three weeks at the castle? With his lack of book sales, he had actually needed this job. His fans and Witch Weekly’s best smile awards only went so far. 

Wandering the school really wasn’t as therapeutic as he thought it would be. He looked around after kicking a wall in frustration and realized he wasn’t entirely sure where he was and really needed a mirror to check his appearance. He did have to remain in his post for the remainder of the week, so the blasted staff could arrange things properly for the students. It was a travesty that he would be out of the castle before October.

Looking around, he spotted a portrait with a well dress wizard nearby, “I say, kind sir,” Lockhart asked the painting, attempting to sound enchanting, “do you know where the nearest mirror is? I must check my appearance before I let the students know that I can’t continue being their professor due to an emergency that requires my skill and expertise.” Yes, that was how he would spin it.

The man in the portrait raised an eyebrow, Lockhart hoped it didn’t mean that the truth had made it that far, before pointing down the hall. “There is a restroom at the end of the hall. Three doors down on the opposite wall as my painting.”

“Thank you, kind sir, and might I add, you are wearing rather smashing robes.”

“Thank you, and you are welcome. Better hurry, or the students will leave the Great Hall before you arrive.”

“Too true. I must be off. A grand entrance is only grand if there are people to watch.”

Lockhart made his way down the hall and found the restroom easily. He was a bit distressed when he realized it was a lady’s restroom but quickly shook that off, desperate times did call for desperate measures. 

He took a step forward, pushing the door open at the same time he looked down at the puddle he stepped into. The hem of his lavender robe was soaked, as were his lovely violet, suede boots. His last thought was that the water would ruin his shoes before he noticed a pair of big yellow eyes looking back at him in the water.

**Great Hall**

“Good evening, students,” Headmaster Dumbledore said in his most grandfatherly tone. 

He was extremely irritated. Minerva had strong armed him into firing Gilderoy. Why couldn’t Gilderoy have just given the student’s reading and had them practice the spells in the book? Did he really have to bring pixies? Once again, he was going to have to find someone new to teach the class and inevitably it would be someone at least marginally competent. Why did the universe hate him? Harry Potter was the only one who could make Voldemort vulnerable. But in order to do that he needed to die. The boy was not going to do that willingly if he could defend himself. 

“It brings me great sadness to announce that our beloved defense professor will not be able to finish the year with us. He will be…” before he could finish his thought, the student body stood as one, cheering uproariously. Albus almost scowled but just managed to keep his expression pleasant. “Yes, I too am happy for him. His next opportunity will be great for him but does not fit in with his class schedule.

“Professor Lockhart will be staying with us through the end of the week while we wait for our new professor.” He looked down the staff table, just then noticing that Gilderoy was not there. “It seems he wants to make an entrance tonight, so for now, how about we tuck in.”

The student body didn’t need to be told twice. They didn’t care where Gilderoy Lockhart was. They didn’t care if he was fired, or quit, though most assumed fired. All the student body cared about, no matter what house, was that Lockhart was no longer teaching their defense glass. If he disappeared and never came back, there wasn’t a single student that would care.

At the beginning of the year a few of the female students had been drawn in by his fame and good looks; it didn’t take long for that to change. There wasn’t a girl alive who wanted to admire a man who found his own appearance to that tantalizing. When people are that self-absorbed, eventually, they chase others away. Lockhart had also proved how truly inept he was; after the replacement teacher from the previous year, no student wanted to settle for Witch Weekly’s best smile when they could actually learn defense.

The teaching staff also didn’t care where the pompous moron was. They found him to be exceedingly annoying and a disgrace to teachers everywhere. One in particular was almost jolly that Albus had allowed Minerva to fire the man without brining the Board into it. Severus had nearly killed the man a dozen or so times in the first week alone. Lockhart thought it would a smart thing to change his look. Black was just so depressing, why not wear Aqua? His hair was rather unflattering, why not get a different haircut and perhaps a dye job? His nose, well obviously he needed to fix that too. Severus Snape was not a fan of Gilderoy Lockhart before he came to the castle, now Gilderoy Lockhart was higher on his LIST than Sirius Black.

Minerva was pleased. She realized she was lucky that Albus folded so easily. Or maybe she wasn’t. Thinking back, she was fairly certain it was the portraits that had turned the tide in her favor. Several of the former headmasters had been almost gleeful while she laid out what she wanted to happen. Seeing Vindictus Veridian and Phineas Black scowl when Albus agreed certainly told a tale. The Headmaster was smart, if nothing else. At least Lockhart was out. She hoped she could find a teacher before the headmaster attempted anything else.

Dinner was interrupted by a poltergeist. This was not a normal Peeves interruption though. Instead of zooming in, water balloons full of goo flying, he came in without a prank item at all. He did not make any food fly or start taunting anyone. Peeves did not get into an argument with the twins and did not challenge anyone to a burping contest. No, when Peeved entered, he went directly to the Slytherin table and bowed to the Bloody Baron.

“Peeves is sorry to interrupt, Sir Bloodiness,” he said while in his bow. “There is a problem on the second floor. Myrtle is in hysterics. She has flooded the corridor and refuses to leave her toilet.”

“This is not entirely new, Peeves,” the Baron appeared to be bored. “Why does this make you think you can disrupt the feast?”

Peeves wrung his hands nervously, “Myrtle is not the only one in her bathroom. That Lockhart idiot is there too.”

“Did he pass out because he is afraid of ghosts?”

The poltergeist shook his head, “Sire, the Heir is back and Lockhart is his first victim.” 


	20. Pointing Fingers

**Letters**

_Minerva,_

_I hope receiving this reply so quickly does not make me seem over eager. Words cannot describe the honor I feel in this moment knowing that you think me both qualified to teach and personable enough to do so to children. I don’t think I have to mention that teaching the son of two of my best friends is an even greater gift._

_I suppose I should not be surprised that you thought of me; being my head of house you knew of my dream of gaining my defense mastery and then using it to impart knowledge. What you probably didn’t know during that meeting is that I assumed I would never get the chance here in Britain and thought, if anything, my chance would be through private tuition._

_It would be remiss of me if I didn’t ensure that you knew all the facts. We spoke during Order meetings so you know of my affliction. I don’t remind you of this to tell you I am a danger to anyone; I have always taken great precautions to ensure I am always safe. There are a number of options I can chose from, including spending those nights in London with Sirius so that I am not even near the grounds if that would make the other teachers feel more secure._

_One to the topic of your second missive; I am beyond concerned that the legendary Chamber of Secrets has been opened once more (though if I am honest, I was not aware it had been opened the first time). I will be starting my own research on the subject as soon as I finish penning this letter; the Black library is extensive; someone might as well use it for good. If I find anything promising I will be sure to contact you immediately._

_It will not take me long to get things in order and can be ready to start Monday as you originally asked. There are a few things I need to square away with Sirius or I would be able to start tomorrow. I may need to either spend the odd night with him or have clearance for him to sleep on the couch in my quarters; he is doing much better but still needs support when he is having a particularly bad day._

_The last thing I think should be addressed is Severus. He and I did not have a good relationship in school, as you are sure to be aware; my question is, has Severus been informed? Is he at the very least indifferent to my joining the staff? I would hate to cause undo tension amongst my colleagues._

_Unless I hear from you before then, I will see you on Monday. I look forward to working with you and am excited to begin teaching. If there is anything you need from me, simply let me know; you have always stood as a guard to the students and that is something I will always support._

_Remus Lupin_

_…_

_Father,_

_Last night our former defense professor was petrified. Additionally, there was a note proclaiming that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and the Heir would be seeking vengeance against those who opposed him. From what I gather, this was not the first time the chamber has been opened, that is what the Bloody Baron said when I asked. Others were petrified in the mid-forties, and there was one death. I need more information father. Things are not as they seem and I fear for my friends and for my own future should the heir succeed. What do I need to know?_

_You have never hidden the secrets of the past from me as long as you thought I needed to know or I asked. I am asking now. What do you know of the Chamber of Secrets? What do you know of the Heir? Is this the Dark Lord? Or is it some other delusional blood heir? What is the monster? Can we survive this?_

_Professor Dumbledore announced this morning that Madam Pomphrey would be able to cure the petrification with the help of Professors Snape and Sprout. There is a potion that can be brewed using the mandrakes we are currently growing; the only problem with that is, the mandrakes will not be mature enough for the potion until near the end of the school year. Is there another way to get mandrakes? I don’t particularly care about Lockhart, but if a student is petrified, I think that is too much time to wait._

_I am starting to wonder if Hogwarts is really worth all of this. Admittedly, things were much better after Quirrell was dealt with and a new history professor was hired. This year is just as bad as the start of last year. Well perhaps not quite that bad; no trolls yet and certainly no dark lords cursing brooms. But we got a terrible defense professor who was then petrified and the student body was threatened by a mad man who claims to follow Slytherin’s prejudice. Why is it that my education has to suffer because of the mistakes made by men old enough to be my grandfather?_

_Ignore my melancholy words father, I am just frustrated. This morning has been difficult. The whole school is on edge and what walls we had broken between houses seem to have built themselves back up overnight. Most of the school is looking at my house like we are the harbingers of evil; Harry and the others aren’t of course but it is challenging to be looking over my shoulder at every turn._

_I will leave this for now,_

_Your daughter,_

_Daphne_

_…_

_Aunt Petunia,_

_Sorry for the delay in this letter, I needed to do some research before I could share what was going on. Things are crazy again._

_I know I told you about Lockhart, and his inability to teach, but the good thing is, he was fired. At least I think he was fired. Dumbledore made an announcement that he had some great opportunity that was forcing him to leave but I really don’t think that’s true. I am sure Lockhart would have played it off that way too but he never got the chance._

_He was late to the dinner that night and in fact he never showed up. Peeves, the hilarious poltergeist that I told you about, flew in to tell the Bloody Baron that another ghost in the castle was basically having a panic attack. Moaning Myrtle, so named because she cries all the time, haunts a girl’s toilet on the second floor; Hermione told me that no one uses that bathroom because it is flooded so often because of her crying. She terrorizes anyone who comes in and, according to the twins, has boundary issues with male students she finds attractive._

_It seems that Lockhart was attacked in her bathroom! When the professors found him, with a good portion of the student body standing in the hallway behind them, he was laying down on the bathroom floor in a puddle of water completely petrified. Fred and George managed to sneak a peek before the professors arrived and said he looked like a statue of himself, and he was frowning. Outside the bathroom, there was a note written on the wall in red. The message was written in red paint, that is what Professor Flitwick said; it is an easy enough spell to master so that makes sense._

_“The Heir has returned. Those who oppose him beware, for his wrath will be sated in blood.” Most of us didn’t know what that meant; Daphne was the one who understood what it meant. She was standing next to Neville, Hermione and I, Blaise and Draco were right behind us. She said it was the Heir of Slytherin, Salazar Slytherin was one of the founders and history says that he wanted to keep muggle-born students out of Hogwarts. We did a little research, which is the reason my letter is later than usual, and found that he fought with the other founders and eventually left. Rumor says there is a secret chamber in the castle that houses his legendary monster, but no one knows what it is._

_The castle is in a bit of an uproar. Hufflepuffs are running around like all of house Slytherin is going to hex them. Most of Gryffindor keeps their wands in their hands at all times, as does Slytherin; both are prepared to hex on site. Ravenclaw is probably the only house acting even remotely normal, unless you consider the fact that we spend even more time in the library._

_Draco and Daphne wrote home to ask their parents about the chamber. Draco’s father basically sent him a letter extolling the virtues of Voldemort, which confused Draco until we got Daphne’s father’s reply. It seems Lord Voldemort, the man who killed my parents, claims that he is the heir of Slytherin. This might be true, and it also might not be. Daphne says there could actually be a dozen heirs of Slytherin because of the pureblood magical world’s need to keep non magic blood out. What her father did say was that Voldemort claimed to be the heir and that the chamber was opened back in the 40s. Mister Greengrass doesn’t know for certain but he thinks that the one to open the chamber was Voldemort when he attended Hogwarts. There is no record of anyone by that name ever attending but he also said that it was probably a made-up name. Hermione says his name means flight from death in French, which is kind of pathetic if you think about it._

_Anyway, the Chamber is open and someone is out to get me, at least I think they are. I am going to be very cautious and will be working to figure this out. I understand if you want me to come home because of the danger, but I would like to see what happens first. This could get cleared up soon; Professor McGonagall is on the warpath right now and Professors Snape and Flitwick are right behind her._

_On to a less serious topic. I have been working with Professor Vector. She asked to meet with me and my Head of House because of what happened last year at the quidditch match and a few other things. She thinks I have some form of Mage Sight. I’m not completely sure what that is but she explained it as a gift that allows a wizard to see/feel magic differently than others. If you remember, Daphne said that Luna might have that. Professor Vector says she thinks I have it because I can tell the twins apart even when they are trying to switch places. I think she might be right. She asked how I could tell them apart and I said they felt different. She thinks I am feeling their magical signatures. She wants to work with me to develop my gift so that it could help me in the future. Professor Vector has a form of Mage Sight, which is why she recognized it in me._

_And here is the best part, REMUS IS MY NEW DEFENSE PROFESSOR!!!!! Professor McGonagall announced it at breakfast yesterday. Most of the hall clapped politely, as you can imagine, my group was excited. Fred and George jumped up, dashed to the head table and started bowing, saying ‘I am not worthy,’ it was hilarious. Dumbledore’s sour face was pretty cool too. Remus is going to be a great teacher, I can tell. We’ve had one class and it was already as good as the ones Professor Flitwick taught last year. I just hope he can teach again next year._

_How is Dudley? Did that big test go okay? Is everything going well at work for uncle Vernon? Is Beans still driving you crazy? Do your roses look alright? Let me know how things are going at home and know that I look forward to the Yule holiday so I can see you again._

_Love,_

_Harry_

_P.S. I promise to be careful and if I see anything, I will let the professors know._

_P.P.S. The Quidditch practices are going great and I can’t wait for the practice match and the rest of the year’s competition._

_…_

_Remus Lupin_

_Harry wrote to inform me of the changes at Hogwarts and I have to admit I am both terrified and relieved by what he wrote. This Chamber business makes little sense to me and I fear for his safety because of the implications he alluded to. What has given me some relief is the knowledge that you will be there to protect him. Harry has great things to say about a number of his professors but I have only met two of them and during those visits other things took precedence so I did not learn much about them and how they are around my nephew. You on the other hand, I have watched you give comfort and security to my Harry. I know what he means to you and that you would do anything for him._

_I beg you, keep my Harry safe, and keep me informed._

_Petunia Dursley_

**Defense Professor’s Office**

“You don’t have to stand there,” Remus did not look up from the lesson plans he was studying, “you can come in if you like. I don’t bite.”

“You almost bit back then.”

He looked up then and examined the man who stood just outside the open door to his office. “I had no control over that instance and didn’t speak to him for most of the rest of that year because of what he did to you. That was the first time in my life I was truly ashamed of my one of my friends but it would not be the last.” Remus sighed and stood, walking around his desk toward the door, “I do owe you an apology. We started out trying to get laughs but eventually let prejudice guide our hands. What we did to you was horrible and I regret it to this day.”

Severus Snape took a deep breath. Coming here, working with this man, was hard for him. He had a deep seeded fear of what he was because of that night back in school. Facing a werewolf at any age would be terrifying, but at that age, with so little world experience, it was the stuff that bread nightmares. “I know intellectually you had nothing to do with that night, had something happened to me, you would have been killed, but that does not mean that I don’t still feel the fear of my youth when I think back on it. The apology is appreciated but I will admit that I gave as good as I got most of the time. You were the least cruel of your friends and I don’t actually remember you ever hexing me, though I know I did hex you; perhaps it is I who owe you an apology for our time in school.”

“I could have done more to dissuade them.”

“And pigs could fly without the aid of magic; Sirius Black and James Potter did what they wished regardless of what you or anyone else said. Lily refused to even speak to Potter most of the time because of what he did to me but he continued in his quest to humiliate me until seventh year.”

Remus smiled ruefully. “I suppose you’re right; if Lily couldn’t convince him to lay off, no one could.”

“Good show,” Filius Flitwick clapped from his perch on a desk. “Now that the apologies are out of the way, perhaps we should talk.”

“Hello Professor.”

“No, Mister Lupin, I am no longer your professor. I am your colleague. I had to break Severus of that habit too. Will you take more or less time to address me by my name, I wonder?”

“Sorry, Filius,” Remus smiled and shook his head at the slight scowl on Severus’s face. “What is it you wished to speak to me about?”

It was Severus who answered, “The Headmaster.”

“Albus has been odd lately and we don’t trust his judgement.”

“His actions during the last school year and the hiring of Lockhart are not in the best interest of the students and Minerva informed us that the school has put him on a final warning.” 

The castle warning Dumbledore was a surprise but people losing faith in his guidance did not. “He made it so I was and still am unable to owl Harry. He was all that I had left of my family and Albus kept him from me. My trust in him was damaged when he would not allow me to see or contact Harry; he lost me completely when I learned what the goblins found in Harry’s scar.” He did not see any shock in their eyes; it seemed they had similar reasons for standing against the headmaster. “What can I do to assist you?”

“We are certain the headmaster knows more than he has reported about the chamber.”

“He was teaching here when it was last opened and he sticks his nose into everything; how could he not know who did it.”

Remus nodded, “Rumor is that Hagrid was arrested for it originally.”

“I heard the same and that is what my research points to as well, but I can’t see him being the one to actually do it.” Severus added, “Hagrid and a monster together absolutely, but, if anything, a death would be an accident and there would be no petrification. He would say that the animal was just misunderstood. I can see him crying as he begged authorities to forgive the damned creature for making a mistake. Records also say the creature he kept was an Acromantula.”

“If I am not mistaken, Acromantulas are also not capable of petrification.”

“You are correct, Filius,” the defense master agreed. “Acromantula venom typically causes paralysis so that the spider can feast on their prey while it still breaths. The person would still have movement in their eyes and chest from breathing. If they were particularly strong willed or had an immunity to venom, they might be able to move a finger or tow if bitten by a pure breed Acromantula.” He looked out his office window toward the forest, “If I am not mistaken, there is only one true Acromantula in the forest now; the rest are his descendants and their venom’s effectiveness would vary depending on what generation they are from. The question is, what creature does have that ability? I know of no spell that could do this and there are few individuals enough to perform rituals, particularly in school. A ritual would also require much more staging so we should be able to rule that out.” Remus rubbed the back of his neck, “The only creature I can think of that can do anything remotely like this is a gorgon but the victim here is not actual stone, only frozen like stone.”

Severus studied his former classmate, “It is nice to have a defense professor who knows his subject. While the duelist from last year was well versed in the spell portion of the curriculum, he knew next to nothing about dark creatures.” He smirked slightly, “though we were stuck with Lockhart for a few weeks so maybe I find you this intelligent because of his sever lack of intelligence.”

“I was in the top ten in our year Severus. I may not have done all that well in potions, not entirely my fault as the fumes still give me headaches, but I beat you more than half the time in defense.” He returned his attention to Filius, “Albus would never believe Hagrid responsible, he is far too gentle. It makes me wonder who he thought was really responsible.”

“The only one who could possibly know besides Albus is Binns and I’m honestly not sure if he knows what decade it is, let alone what century.” Filius scratched his head, “Are you still in contact with Horace, Severus?”

“I could owl him, but I doubt he would give us an answer that differed from the one of record. Horace Slughorn was always more concerned with collecting the children of important figures and children he potential in. His Slug Club was all he cared about. Chances are, if the true perpetrator was in his club, all he would remember was how great the young man was in his studies. If he did know, he would play dumb and give you a false memory.”

The small man sighed, “Reluctantly, I must agree with your assessment. I don’t think I would have anything damaging enough to guilt him with or anything valuable enough to guarantee a straight answer so that is a lost cause.” 

“Who else stands with us?” Remus knew were the Charms professor stood, he was responsible for getting Harry to the goblins, and he would stand with anyone who stood for Harry. 

“Most of the staff actually,” Severus nearly shrugged. “Septima Vector and Bathsheda Babbling are perhaps the most active of the group, though Poppy is extremely vocal as well.”

“Minerva agrees with our stance against Albus but we are only just pulling her in as she was slow to the uptake. Pomona has always advocated for the students.”

“The rest don’t see the students as often and aren’t really considered by Albus. Aurora would be the only one with enough tenure and influence that he might consider seeking aid from but she is a Slytherin so is automatically lower on the food chain for the headmaster.”

Filius nodded along with Severus’s final assessment, “The only one I don’t know about is Sybil, but she rarely leaves her tower.”

“Hagrid is assuredly Dumbledore’s man.”

Remus couldn’t help but nod, “That is to be expected. Who else would give him a job like the one he has? Dumbledore has always showed Hagrid the best of himself.” He rubbed his temples. “It is hard to believe we have come to this. How is it that the man who stood for the light now moves so easily in the shadows?” 

“I can’t honestly say,” Filius sighed. “He is not the same man he used to be. During the first war I did not question his motives at all. Did he keep things to himself, probably, but who could blame him? So many were lost and there were spies in both camps. No one knew who to trust.”

“That’s for sure,” Remus growled. Peter’s betrayal would always haunt him.

“Albus brought the light together and gave them strength to fight and hope for a brighter future. The children still came to school because, with him here, they were safe. Parents could trust that their kids would learn ways to defend themselves if they needed.” The charms professor looked toward the window, watching the driving rain fall. “The ministry was barely functioning. Most walked around in fear while the Aurors and Crouch became almost as deadly as those they fought against.”

“We all turned to him,” the werewolf shook his head. “He defeated Grindelwald, so we looked to him to defeat this new evil. Headmaster, Chief Warlock, Head Mugwump. So many important titles; perhaps we gave him too much power for far too long; maybe he started believing that he was infallible because that is what most actually think.”

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” Severus drawled. 

Remus snorted, “Normally I forget that you grew up in the muggle world, and then you say something like that. What would your pureblood friends say if they knew where that can from?”

Severus smirked, “I usually just convince them that I am the genius behind anything muggle I happen to say, as long as they think it brilliant.”

Remus could only shake his head in amusement.

**Headmaster’s Office**

“Albus, you must have something more to say on this matter,” Minerva fumed. She was not getting kicked out of the castle because of his inaction. There was not much she could do as deputy head; she did not have access to the wards and could not enter a few select rooms. Additionally, Albus had been in the castle during the last opening, while she was still too young to attend school herself. A little research had told her that Hagrid had been blamed of the last Chamber incident but she just couldn’t see it. The man may have giant blood and love dangerous creatures but he had a heart of gold. Rubeus Hagrid would never allow one of his pets to attack someone else. 

What angered her most, was his sit and wait approach to curing the petrification. Why did he think that it was alright to leave Lockhart petrified for over half a year? “How can you possibly think that waiting until spring is an acceptable healing time for someone who was petrified by Slytherin’s monster?”

“I am not bound to protect mister Lockhart’s interests in this matter, my dear.” Dumbledore looked down at his nails and noticed they were more than a little dirty. He started cleaning them while allowing his mind to wander, “He was no longer in my employ when it happened. I would think that saving funds to provide for the students would be more important than procuring a very expensive plant when we are currently growing ones that only need time to mature.”

The deputy head tried not to scream at him. What he said was technically true. The way he worded it insinuated that he would acquire the missing ingredient were the victim a student, so the castle, and she, could say nothing about it. “While that is true, it does feel slightly underhanded.”

“The students are my priority, Minerva. My entire focus will be searching out the Chamber and trying to neutralize the beast within so that no others are attacked like they were under Headmaster Dippet’s tenure.”

“Need I remind you that you were the Deputy at the time, Albus,” Armando Dippet nearly growled. “I would have closed the school had the fiend not been found.”

“Come now Armando,” Albus turned his chair so he could look at the old man’s portrait. “You and I both know that Hagrid had nothing to do with his. Acromantula can’t petrify people.”

“I hate to admit it,” Dilys Derwent sighed, “but he is correct. It was discovered that young Rubeus was in possession of an Acromantula and I have studied Acromantula venom; it is only capable or paralysis; which affects people differently based on their magical power.”

“I believe I told you that, Dippet,” Phineas Black sneered.

“Thank you, Phineas,” Dumbledore grinned.

“You forgot to thank Headmistress Derwent, you old goat and I didn’t do it for you. I enjoy pointing out the failings of others.”

“Well,” Dippet growled, “if not Hagrid, then who? Tom was perhaps the most promising student in the school at the time and everything stopped after Hagrid was expelled.”

“Does it matter who was responsible at the time?” Vindictus Veridian wondered. “There are very few in the castle now that were here then. Perhaps you could cross reference current students and their parents to see who which families have students here during both occurrences, but,” he yawned, “I think it would be prudent to determine what could cause petrification.”

“How are we to figure it out now if we couldn’t then?” Albus wondered. He really didn’t care what it was. If Tom was back in the castle somehow, that meant Harry would be tested again. Perhaps he could create a situation where Harry faced off against whatever incarnation of Tom was in the castle.

“Can I ask,” Minerva spoke up before the portraits could go on another rant, “why is it that the castle is allowing Albus to stay? This is another situation where the students are in danger.”

Headmistress Elizabeth Burke sighed, “This was not a problem of Dumbledore’s making or his inattention. The Chamber of Secrets was made by the founders and has been lost, even to her, since Salazar left. While he is responsible for the children, the current headmaster cannot be held responsible for dangers placed within these walls centuries before his birth.”

“While we would love to see him removed for this,” Phineas Black rolled his eyes, “a student was not attacked and he has presented sound ideas to protect the students. His plans are more cautious than Dippet’s, which is unfortunately in his favor.”

Minerva frowned; she was not happy with this uncertainty. “I know none of you know what the monster is, but is there perhaps a ghost in the castle who was around during the time that Salazar Slytherin was here?”

“HA!” Vindictus shouted, “Your Deputy is smarter than you, Dumbles! Did you think to ask the ghosts, Dippet? NO, you did not. Good job, little kitty!”

Seeing Minerva’s shock and irritation, Elizabeth Burke spoke up, “The House Elves like Vindictus for some reason. He talks to them about the staff and the house elves call you miss Kitty most of the time.”

“Miss Kitty,” Vindictus continued, “I would also like to applaud your hiring of the wolf. The castle and elves have always liked him. The fact that he can give Peeves hell will endear him to the students and prove that he isn’t a complete moron, like everyone Albie hires.”

“Must you make fun of my name so often?” Albus whined. 

“I enjoy listening to you whine like a child,” he smirked. “It proves to me that you are not as all mighty as you like to lead people to believe.”

“While I enjoy watching you and Albus bicker like an old married couple,” Minerva managed to maintain her stern expression, she was delighted to see the disgust cover both of their faces. “No one answered my question. Is there a ghost in this castle that knew Salazar Slytherin?”

“If I am not mistaken,” Phineas Black interjected before Vindictus could get over his shock, “there are at least two. The Baron and Helena.”

Minerva tilted her head in thought. From his description, the Baron could only be the Slytherin ghost; which she honestly should have thought of for that fact alone. “Who is Helena?”

“I believe the students call her the Grey Lady,” one of the female Heads answered. Minerva was not sure which one as she was located in a far corner. 

“And who exactly is she?”

It was Albus who reluctantly replied, “She is the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw.” 

**An Empty Classroom**

“Stop pacing, Harry,” Neville shook his head. 

“Yeah, Harry,” Fred grinned putting an arm around Neville’s shoulder, “You’re making me dizzy.”

“He’s making me nervous.” George said while lounging against the wall. “You didn’t petrify Lockhart did you Harry? I could understand if you were Ron, but he really hasn’t done anything to you.”

“Maybe he is failing all his classes because Lockhart stole his brain before he was petrified.”

“Perhaps, Fred, perhaps,” George threw a grape at his brother’s head, “but I think it more likely that he has decided to take over the school. Harry and the school have decided that Dumbledore needs to go and only Harry is worthy of taking his place.”

“Oh, no, George, what is he going to do? We all know that he was scouted by the Ballycastle Bats, and the Cannons but he won’t play there because they’re the Cannons; who in their right mind would willingly wear that shade of orange? This is such a monumental decision. Does he follow his dream and play for the Bats or does he give it all up to instill knowledge into the minds of the youth of our great country?”

“Do you want to hex them?” Hermione asked Daphne. The two girls had come in just as the twins started guessing what Harry was going to do. 

“I’m surprised I haven’t hexed them already. Blaise,” she turned to the Italian boy who was right behind her, “Why haven’t I hexed them yet?”

He shrugged, “They are amusing most of the time. Plus, they are fourth years, it would be hard for us to take them on even with the aid of surprise. They are far trickier than most think.”

“And Harry likes them,” Hermione added. “I am fairly certain I just ignore them because they adopted Harry as another brother.”

“This is true.” The Slytherins nodded.

“Plus,” Neville grinned from his place between Harry and Fred, “Their crazy ideas have distracted our nervous friend.” This was true; Harry had stopped pacing to follow the twins ping pong match of ideas. “I do wonder where George got the grapes though.”

“Kitchens,” George said while tossing one in his mouth.

“No, I know that,” the younger Gryffindor replied, “but you didn’t have them when we got here so where were you hiding them and how long did you have them there? The three of us came here together from the tower and we didn’t go down to the kitchens beforehand.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” George smirked.

Harry shook his head, “I brought them because George asked for them when he saw me in the hall earlier and I was going to talk to Remus. I was going to be closer to the kitchens than they would be.”

“Sometimes, you are no fun,” George pouted. 

“Harry,” Daphne interrupted before the twins could start something again, “why did you want to meet us like this? And why did you want to meet without Draco, Susan and Luna?”

The green eyed Ravenclaw took a deep breath, “There is something I think you all should know. I discovered it last Christmas by accident.”

“Why do you sound so nervous, Harry?” Hermione asked with some worry. “You know that we won’t judge you, no matter what.”

“Well, I might,” Blaise smirked, “if you are dating Pansy or Millicent, I would definitely judge you.”

“If you suddenly dumped us for Ron, we would be angered and prank the living daylights out of you.”

The group turned their attention to Neville, thinking he would have another idea to make fun of Harry’s nervousness.

“I already know what he wants to talk to you about and Harry and I decided we were twins, there isn’t anything he could do to get rid of me.”

“Thank you, Neville, the rest of you are children,” Daphne sighed before moving to sit in a chair she purposely pulled directly in front of where Harry stood. “Just get it over with, Harry. We can’t reassure you properly without knowing what it is you are worried about.”

“Too bad you weren’t sorted into Gryffindor,” Hermione sighed, “I could have called you a cowardly lion.”

“Didn’t we already use that cultural reference?” Harry wondered.

“Yes, but it’s just too perfect.”

Harry shook his head with a slight chuckle, “Thanks, Hermione.” He took a deep breath and then looked at all of his assembled friends. “I was planning on telling you all this before the whole Slytherin thing but now it’s just more important. Apparently, I am a Parselmouth.”

Daphne straightened first, her face not showing her shock like the others did. “You can speak to snakes?”

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t know?”

“I hadn’t realized I was speaking anything other than English when I spoke to snakes in the past. It all sounds like English to me. I found a book written in Parseltongue in Flourish and Blotts while shopping last Christmas and just thought it was in English. Neville pointed out that it really wasn’t and after I told him the title, he figured out what language it was and what it meant for me. With the Chamber of Secrets situation, I figured that I should let my friends know what I can do.”

“Because, logically speaking,” Hermione cut in, “Slytherin’s monster would be a snake. Salazar Slytherin is perhaps the most famous Parselmouth in recorded history and his house’s symbol is a snake. What else could it be but some kind of serpent. But,” she wondered, “is there a type of snake that can petrify its victims? There are any number of venomous snakes in the world and many cause paralysis in the non-magical world; perhaps it is a magical version of one of those? I’ll have to do some research.” Her attention turned back to Harry fully, “Concerning Parseltongue, what have you learned so far? Is there any special magic you can perform? Can you teach others? Does the book have history? Is there any way I could read the book too? How can I help?”

“And there goes Hermione,” Fred smiled at the group.

“I do think she is on to something thinking that Slytherin’s monster might be a snake.” 

Neville tilted his head, agreeing with Blaise’s assessment. “But what kind of snake and are we really the first group to consider that? I mean, wouldn’t someone else have thought that? Didn’t they considered snake breeds when the chamber was opened last time?”

“Perhaps we should leave any guesses for when we actually have research material,” Daphne suggested while Hermione continued to ask questions about Parseltongue.

“I see why you didn’t share right away,” Blaise gave Harry a small smile, “and completely understand not having Draco here right now. He has yet to learn to hold his tongue, despite claiming to be the ultimate Slytherin.”

“Is there anything we can do to help you?” Daphne asked.

“The biggest problem I have right now is that I can’t differentiate English and Parseltongue,” Harry scratched his head. “My book says that is fairly typical and that most won’t be able to tell the difference until they reach their magical majority unless they practice with a snake and practice often.” 

“There are a few portraits with snakes in them,” George put a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “The one across from Professor Snape’s office hisses at people a lot.”

“I don’t even want to know how you know that,” Daphne shook her head, “While that is true, that probably isn’t the best place for anyone not in Slytherin to hang around right now.” She glanced at Blaise who nodded, “There are a few Slytherin students with snakes that might consent to having you speak to their snake.”

“Really?” Hermione wondered; she would get more answers from Harry later. “With all the mistrust going on right now I would be surprised if many Slytherins would trust anyone outside the dungeons.”

“Most probably wouldn’t, but Imogen Aldridge, she’s a sixth-year this year, does what she chooses no matter the current circumstances around her. Neutrality is what she insists on showing and she has made a point to continue to speak with people outside Slytherin and has ignored the distrust.”

“Imogen is the only reason spells haven’t already started flying in the hallways.” Blaise added when his house mate paused. “There is a power structure in Slytherin that most don’t realize is there. If Imogen forbids it, the house follows, or at least most of it does. The Quidditch team is about the only group who would cross her and doing so now would get them in trouble with Professor Snape and might see them benched for the season.”

“She has said on a number of occasions that she finds you intriguing and I think this would be something she would agree to just for the opportunity to speak with you.”

“And this is why it is hard to be a Slytherin,” Fred sighed. “They can’t do anything just because, there has to be an angle.”

“That isn’t entirely true,” Daphne frowned at him, “I would do anything for Harry because he is my friend. Friendship does not need strings but you can’t expect the same from someone you have never spoken to.”

“Are there any other portraits with snakes?” attention turned to Hermione. “While it would probably be best for Harry to speak to an actual snake, I don’t want him to owe something to a sixth-year. Maybe he could start with portraits and move to snakes as he gets more practice?”

George stood, “Most of the portraits with snakes are in the dungeons, the only one I can think of that isn’t within spitting distance of the dungeons is across the hall from the headmaster’s office and that seems to be an even more foolish place to sit and talk to snakes. Honestly, Daphne’s idea is probably the safest.”

“What about Sirius and Remus?” Neville asked suddenly. “I should have thought of this before. Couldn’t they get you a snake?”

Harry nodded slowly, “While I am sure they could, if I did get a snake, I think I would like to do the choosing.” He reached down for his bag and pulled out his Parseltongue book. Flipping to the page he wanted he, he read a passage, “The bond between a Parselmouth and his serpent is sacred and cannot be forced. While a snake will do as a Parselmouth demands, they can refuse if that demand goes against the ideals of their partner. This bond is like no familiar bond wizards have recorded. Serpent and wizard are a bonded pair; they aid each other, increase each other’s strength. No Parselmouth can gain his true potential without a bonded, willing serpent at his side.”

“A true partnership,” Daphne breathed. “I’ll talk to Imogen, explain what I can and get her to promise not to discuss it with anyone should she refuse our request. This feels too important to let it sit on the sidelines. You need to explore this and I will do everything I can to aid you.”

“Same here,” Neville bumped his shoulder with Harry’s, “we are twins after all.”

“We adopted you Harry,” Fred began.

“Did you really think a silly thing like talking to snakes would scare us away,” George finished for his twin.

“Actually, that could be really fun to add to a prank. When you get a snake, we are going to scare the crap out of people.”

“And before they get going,” Hermione pushed her way between the twins, “let me reassure you that you are my best friend and one of the few who can keep up with me; I’m not letting some wizarding prejudice break us up.”

Blaise snorted, “She made it sound like you were dating.” He wiped under his eye, pretending he had a tear there, “But seriously, you are the only one I can talk quidditch with outside of Draco, and he gets annoying after too long, so I’m not letting you go so easily.”

The twins each dropped an arm over Harry’s shoulder, “You hear that,” they said as one, “You’re stuck with us. Whether you like it or not.”

**Chamber of Secrets**

If she could scowl, she would. The invader in her mind had been obnoxious from the first moment he slithered into her but he had become insufferable in the last few days. He crowed inside her mind about his rising, all because someone who felt like the blood heir had entered to Chamber a few days ago. She was forced to listen to the blood heir, at least to a point. Until the true heir arrived that is.

**I don’t know why you continue to fight the inevitable. You are Slytherin’s monster; he and I are Slytherin’s Heir. Magic will force you to obey now that my younger self is here and in an actual body.**

_You are still an ignorant child._ She really needed to frown or scowl. Most of the time she found facial expressions to be useless but at the moment she couldn’t even escape into her own mind to complain so she mourned the fact that snakes did not have facial expressions. _My obedience is not guaranteed for anyone._

**You followed without question before. You killed for me.**

_The true heir had not yet been born. When the true heir is not among the living, I am honor bound to follow the directives of the blood heirs as long as they do not counter my original purpose._

**Well,** he chuckled, **then there should not be a problem. I seek to bring about Salazar’s will. I will rid the magical world of those horrid muggle-born vermin. And what do you mean I am not the true heir? I am the last in Salazar’s line.**

_As I have said before, you know nothing of Salazar’s dream. He sought the protection of the magical world._

**And the only way to protect it is to kill muggles, muggle-borns and muggle lovers. You still have not answered my question about the heir.**

_Salazar determined that blood could not chose the right individual to bring about the prosperity he dreamed of. The determining factor would be magic. Magic does not always travel down the bloodline or at least not down the direct bloodline. There are others who carry the bloodline, yet very few have the gift of understanding the true language._

**And I have both the blood and the gift. So, I am the magical heir as well as the blood heir.**

_You are not listening, child._

**I insist that you refrain from calling me child. I have lived for more than half a century.**

_And I have lived for more than ten centuries. You have lived a fraction of my life, to me you are a child. All are children when compared to me._ Did he really have to be that obnoxious? _If you were the magical heir, I would have told you then. If you were the magical heir, you would not be trying to harm a child within these walls. You are an enemy to Salazar and his true heir._

**And yet you followed the other me.**

_He is not yet tainted by eternal darkness. He is at the cusp, but there is still hope for him._

**He will become me.**

_Then he too will fall._

**Who is the ‘true heir’ then?**

_I will know him when I meet him._

**I am the true heir; you are just trying to irritate me.**

_You are annoying. I am done speaking with you._

He continued to rant in her head but she refused to answer. When Salazar had been alive, he complained of headaches all the time. She had never understood what he meant, but if they were anything like the pain the shade caused her, she felt sorry for her friend and partner. 

The true heir could not come soon enough.


	21. What It Means To Be...

**Ravenclaw**

Penelope Clearwater stood with the other Ravenclaw prefects in front of their house. It was decided that due to the appearance of the ‘Heir’ that they needed to speak to their house as a unit. 

It didn’t take a Ravenclaw to see that people were going to be scared and could react poorly. Logically, it would be stranger if everyone just ignored the writing on the wall. The point was, everyone was going to react and not all reactions would be good ones. No, fear could not be controlled completely but together they could attempt to overcome it.

“Thank you all for being prompt,” Penelope smiled. Despite being in sixth year, the seventh-year prefects had asked her to lead this meeting because she had a better relationship with most of the house than they did. “We thought it would be a good idea to get together and talk about the Heir of Slytherin and his warning to the student body.”

Many of the students looked around with fear or concern on their faces. It was expected; everyone feared the unknown at least to an extent. 

“We think it is important that we discuss everything logically and stand united as a house,” Lucas Merriweather, one of the seventh-years added.

“Why can’t we stand united as a school?” Harry Potter wondered. When he was given blank looks, he shrugged. “The message didn’t just threaten students in this house, it threatened everyone here whether it specified that or not. Wouldn’t it be better if Hogwarts as a whole decided that we were not going to allow this to hold us back from coming together?”

While most looked a bit lost, Penelope smiled. “Thank you, Harry.” Satisfaction was clear in her voice as she continued. “Last year I talked to Hermione Granger and her friend Neville Longbottom about continuing to make connections outside your house. It can only strengthen this school if we all ignore the color of our ties and look at the people behind the clothes. Harry is correct, the message written on the walls did not discriminate by house it said that any who opposed the heir would die. He did not say what his mission was and while many assume he is trying to complete Slytherin’s work of ridding the castle of muggleborns, there is no proof.”

“It could be,” Lucas interjected, “that he will do like the Dark Lord did and destroy everyone simply because they are in the way.” Lucas’s father had been an Auror before his death in the line of duty at the end of the last war. “The Dark Lord claimed to fight for purebloods but killed more old families than he saved. What is to stop the heir from claiming we are all blood traitors and coming after us too.”

Penelope nodded, “We are Ravenclaws, which means we are smart. We like data and facts. There are no facts for us here so we have to look beyond books. The heir is new to us but the students here are not. We have gone to school with the people in our year groups since the first time we stepped into this castle. I would think that we know our peers better than some crazed lunatic calling for blood.” She examined the students watching her and the other prefects, “Shouldn’t we be smart enough to know who we can trust to have our backs?”

“I would think that we would be smart enough to realize that our house does not define us nearly as much as we like to pretend.” Hermione said quietly after a moment of silence. “It was not just knowledge that allowed the professors to save us last year. Yes, they knew what to do, but they also had to be brave enough to act.”

“It takes ambition, dedication and hard work to achieve a mastery in any subject,” Harry agreed. “Our professors had the knowledge they needed to protect us all from Quirrell because they have masteries in their subjects.”

“Perhaps,” Luna spoke from her position between Harry and Hermione, “we as a school should stop looking at our houses for their differences but start considering what we admire about those differences. I am not particularly brave, but I would like to be, like Neville Longbottom.”

Seeing the bravery it took for the small girl to talk was not lost of the prefects. “I wish I knew what I wanted to do,” Lucas continued the theme. “If I did, perhaps I would have more ambition than getting some low-level ministry job next year while I figure that out.”

“I am ashamed to say that I could get better grades if I actually put some effort into my work,” Roger Davies sighed. “It’s not that I get bad grades I just plan to play quidditch professionally so I often don’t see the need to put in the effort that would give me an O instead of an E in the subjects I am less fond of.”

“I want to be brave enough to ask the guy I like out,” Penelope giggle, “that isn’t particularly important in the grand scheme of things but it is still something I wish I had in me.”

Harry smiled, “I really admire the Weasley twins. It’s not really a specific house trait or anything I wish I had when I look at why I want to be more like them; honestly, it’s the fact that Fred and George are always themselves, even when pretending to be each other. There is nothing that stops them from acting just the way they want.” He shook his head. “I try so hard to the best version of me that sometimes I’m not completely myself, I’m who I think people want me to be. Sometimes I am afraid that people won’t like me for who I really am. I wonder if they are only there to get to know the boy-who-lived instead of Harry.” Hermione took his hand, “The sad thing is, I know that some people will never see Harry, some will only see the lightning bolt scar.”

“Your true friends,” Penelope looked at the famous boy with compassion, “no matter what house they hail from, will only see Harry.”

“I am fairly certain Blaise could care less about the fame stuff as long as you continue to be his quidditch buddy,” Hermione joked.

“Yeah,” Roger shouted, “I don’t care what you did when you were a baby as long as you continue to catch the snitch.”

Harry sighed, “I wasn’t looking for reassurance. I was trying to make a point that no one is perfect and we all want something we don’t have.”

“And that is why we appreciate you so much, Potter,” Lucas shook his head. “For someone so young, you seem to understand what the rest of us miss. Hogwarts should not be four houses divided by fear and mistrust. Hogwarts should be one school that stands together to push back the darkness.” He glanced at Roger, “Except on the pitch, then it’s Ravenclaw or nothing!”

What the students did not see was the ghost standing in the corner. She glanced at the statue of her mother and smile. “It may have taken longer than you thought but there is finally a group that understands what you were hoping to teach them, mother.” 

**Hufflepuff**

“You need to stop associating with them, Susan!” Ernie MacMillan glared down at his redheaded classmate. “It is going to get you into trouble.”

“How is continuing to work with my study group going to get me into trouble? The only reason I am currently getting an E in potions is because of that study group. If I want to follow my aunt into the DMLE one day then I need potions.” She shook her head and went back to working on her potions essay. Harry, Hermione and Draco had each read through it and given her pointers on how to make it a better paper. She hadn’t lied to her housemates; she really did need them to do well in potions. 

Hannah reached across the table and pulled the parchment away from Susan. “You are studying with Slytherins, Sue.”

“And?”

“They are Slytherins!” Ernie all but shouted. 

“The chamber was opened by someone,” Hannah looked down at her friend. “It is obvious that they are going to fall in line with the Heir when they make themselves known. I don’t want you to get hurt and associating with Slytherins is going to do that.”

Susan bit down on her lip to keep the scream that was boiling in her from leaking out. “You are aware that Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom are in that group, aren’t you?” 

“So are Draco Malfoy, Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini.” Ernie all but sneered. “You do know that Malfoy’s father only escaped Azkaban because he claimed Imperius, don’t you? Malfoy is obviously a supporter of You Know Who, so one day he is going to come after you.”

“You are aware, Ernie, that the Greengrass and Zabini families were not implicated in any Death Eater activity in the last war. The Zabini family stayed in Italy while the Greengrass remained staunchly neutral, despite the threats against them.”

“Don’t be naïve, Sue,” Ernie leaned against the table, getting closer to the redhead. “Continuing this idiotic relationship is going to cause problems. If you won’t take our warning to heart, then perhaps you aren’t a real Hufflepuff.”

“I thought being a Puff meant you stood for acceptance.” Susan glared at the boy, her tone remaining as neutral as she was able due to her growing anger. “Refusing to speak to someone based on their house is the opposite. Perhaps it is you that doesn’t belong here.” She looked at her year mates and it saddened her that not one of them was taking her side. “I am ashamed to be your friend and year mate right now. Hufflepuff’s are supposed to accept people for who they are. We aren’t supposed to jump to conclusions based on fear. I was hoping that more of you would want to join our study group but it appears I will have to live with disappointment. Harry and Neville were the ones who started that study group. If there is anyone in our year who would have the right to fear this Chamber business it is those two but they trust their own observations. 

“It was Daphne who defended Hermione when Pansy called her a Mudblood. It was Draco and Blaise who stopped Pansy so that she could be punished for bullying another student. The people in that group don’t rally around their house at the expense of others; Harry and Hermione stood up their house to help a younger student.” Susan shook her head, “I am not stupid; I am well aware that there are students here that still believe that Vol…Voldemort had it right.” She had decided that if her aunt and Harry could say the name then so could she, even if it would take a bit of time to keep from stumbling over it. Fear of a name is ridiculous. “There are two camps in Slytherin house and that is even more apparent now. I know where my friends stand and I will not abandon them. Until you see just how wrong you are, I ask that you leave me alone.”

Susan got up from the table and turned to leave, only for Hannah to block her path. 

“It’s either them or me, Sue.”

“Excuse me?” the redhead all but shrieked. That was obviously too far for her to let slide.

Hannah stood taller despite her friend’s anger. “If you continue to spend time with those slimy snakes, then we can’t be friends.”

“Hey, now,” Cedric Diggory stepped between the two girls. “That is enough Hannah.” The fourth-year did not have his signature smile on his face. “What in the world is going on here?”

Susan raised her head in defiance of the glare she was receiving from the person she had considered her best friend. “Hannah and the rest of my year mates find my continued association with certain members of my study group distasteful. I was informed that they would no longer consider me a Hufflepuff if I continued speaking to my Slytherin friends.”

Cedric’s eyebrows rose almost to his hairline, “Is that true?” 

Hannah nodded, “It is obvious that a Slytherin opened the Chamber and is going to start attacking muggleborns, like Justin. Everyone knows that Slytherins stick together so they will all side with the Heir. She is just going to get us all in trouble.”

“I am ashamed to be a Hufflepuff if that is what you all think,” Cedric shook his head. “It seems to me that Helga Hufflepuff stood for loyalty and justice. Justice isn’t pointing your finger at a group of people simply because they are different from you. Loyalty is standing with your friends in good times and bad. Based on what I am hearing here, Susan is the true Hufflepuff among you.”

“She is siding with the Snakes!” Ernie shouted.

“Enough!” Seventh year prefect Jessabelle Littlewood all but growled. “Second years, you will be meeting with Professor Sprout tomorrow to discuss your biased discrimination. It is unbecoming of a member of this house to turn on one of their own for showing bravery and loyalty. Susan Bones you are excused from this meeting as you have shown more sense than most. You will also receive five points for doing what is right.”

Susan nodded, “Thank you Prefect Littlewood.” She took a deep breath, “If it is alright with you, I would like to take a short walk to clear my head.”

The seventh year nodded, “That is fine, but remember, curfew starts in just over half an hour, I expect you back on time or I will take those points away, plus a few extra for disappointing me.” She whirled, looking at the rest of the house. “If I am going to be honest, there are very few of you that I respect right now. Why was it that Cedric was the only one to step forward? Why was it left to Susan Bones to say what we should all be thinking?”

Herbert Fleet, quidditch keeper, stepped forward. “When did Hufflepuff house become so insular? Why are we trying to drive away innocent kids just because they have a different mascot?”

“Shouldn’t we be more concerned with someone who threatens death to anyone who opposes them? I don’t know about any of you, but I don’t remember the heir giving us any indication as to what their goals were.” Tamsyn Appleby, one of the house chasers nodded next to Fleet. “He didn’t say it was about blood status. What if he is going to start killing anyone who doesn’t like the Chuddley Cannons? I am fairly certain only one student in this school would survive if that were the case.”

“My cousin is in Slytherin,” Littlewood added. “Should I stop talking to my eleven-year-old cousin because she was sorted into Slytherin like her father, who just happens to be an Auror?” That, finally, got Ernie to look slightly uncomfortable. “None of us know everything about everyone here, does that mean we should stop talking to people all together because they are different? Should we divide families because they are sorted into different houses?”

“It has been two weeks,” Cedric added. “In that time has anything happened to make you think that one of your classmates was going to hex you for no reason?” He searched the faces around him, “Did you fear people a month ago just because they were Slytherin? Why do you fear them now?”

“We are all one school,” Fleet nodded, “I may not like Wood when he is on the pitch but I can appreciate his skill and dedication. I respect the differences I have with the other keepers. Shouldn’t we try to do that with everyone and make our head of house proud?”

Tamsyn nodded, “We are Hufflepuffs. We aren’t known for being brave, cunning or clever but we are known for being accepting and hardworking. Perhaps we should work harder at being who we are supposed to be.”

I the corner, the Friar could not help but smile. It seemed the students were not as stupid as the headmaster claimed they were. Nor were they as short sighted and gullible. True, some of his house was not living up to what they should be but all was not lost. It pleased him beyond measure that most were seeing the error of their fear. There was hope for the future after all. 

**Gryffindor**

“So, Neville,” Seamus stood in front of Neville, Dean and Ron at his side. “When are you going to ditch the smiley snakes?”

The Longbottom heir looked up from his Herbology text with a raised eyebrow. “What makes you think I would stop talking to my Slytherin friends? Also, I would appreciate it if you did not call them that.”

“What kind of Gryffindor are you?” Ron asked in obvious disgust. 

“The kind who does the right thing.” He turned his attention to Dean, “Do you agree with them, Dean? I thought you would agree with Harry, someone you have known a lot longer than Ron or Seamus.”

Dean looked down at his feet, obviously uncomfortable with the situation. “I don’t really know what to think, honestly. Everyone keeps saying that all the dark wizards came out of Slytherin so if dark times are coming that is who we have to fear.”

Neville nodded, “I’m not going to lie to you, Dean, a lot of dark wizards were Slytherins, but not all of them. Peter Pettigrew, a Gryffindor, betrayed his friends and was the reason Harry Potter was an orphan. I also know of a Hufflepuff, he was the son of the head of the DMLE and he died in Azkaban for torturing people with an unforgivable curse. There are others but those are the first that come to mind.” He looked at the three before him, “Knowing that is true, should we then start fearing our year mates? Should we suspect Susan Bones? Better yet, should we suspect Harry Potter or professor McGonagall?”

“Well said,” George said from behind the trio, making eye contact with Neville. “All of us are Hogwarts students, not just us Gryffindors.”

“Neville is right.” Fred maneuvered his way around people so he was standing next to the lone lion. “I know George and I prank people but we don’t do it based on house, we do it for a laugh. We don’t target Slytherins because they wear green, and we are not going to start now.”

“If we thought that people were bad just because of their house or family, then we should look at ourselves too.” George looked at Ron, “Our grandmother was born a Black, and if there is a family with a bad reputation, it is the Black family.” 

“I think,” Neville added, “it is more important to get to know someone and make choices based on their actions, not their family history or robe color.”

“I have to say,” Professor McGonagall said before anyone attempt to argue with one of her favorite lions, “that I have never been more proud or ashamed to be your head of house.” Her gaze traveled over the students in the common room. Some had the decency to look ashamed, others seemed vindicated when they had no right to be. “I think what hurts most is that a member of the Weasley family, a family known for standing for the light, known for following their hearts to truth, is the instigator in this.” Seeing Ronald Weasley’s smirk falter was satisfying. 

“Your house does not determine whether you are good or evil; your actions do. Mister Longbottom was correct in that. I am proud of him and the twins for seeing beyond color to the truth of the matter. Every student who sleeps within these walls deserves to make their choice and none of you have the right to determine their fate before they have decided their own path. We all fear the memory of a man we never knew. Salazar Slytherin could have been evil or he could be misunderstood. What many forget is that Merlin, a man we revere as much if not more than we fear the founder of Slytherin house was in fact a member of the house of Snakes.” She gazed around the room, seeing some of her eldest house members nodding though most appeared shocked by this revelation. “My question for you all is, do you want to be remembered by your house at Hogwarts or by your actions? Will you be brave enough to look beyond the color of your tie? Will you be honorable?” 

For most the answers were obvious. They were Gryffindor lions. Pride, honor, and bravery were what they all hoped to embody every day of their lives. For one second year he hoped he was already living that way. He wanted to make his parents proud, even if they didn’t know what he looked like. For them, and for himself, he would take the path of the brave; paved with honor and integrity.

While the house of lions discussed their shame and hope to move past fear, Sir Nicholas smiled. He had been right about the lioness. She did protect her students and she was beginning to find her own claws. It was gratifying to see that her cubs were learning what theirs were for too. A school divided, was a school in danger of collapse.

**Slytherin**

“Can I have a moment of your time, Imogen?” Daphne asked the older girl.

Imogen looked up from her book, her snake draped over her shoulders, “Of course, Daphne.” She straightened and indicated the seat next to her. “What can I do for you?”

Daphne looked around the Slytherin common room. It was late so most of the house was around the room. Seeing this Imogen pulled her wand from her sleeve and cast a quick spell to keep their conversation private. 

“No one but me will hear you now.”

“I am coming to you on behalf of a friend and ask that what we discuss is not shared with anyone.” Daphne paused, waiting for an indication that her request would be met. Imogen nodded, her eyes taking on a serious glint. “I learned recently that one of my friends is a Parselmouth.”

“Really,” the older girl interrupted with some surprise. It was a rare gift.

Daphne nodded slightly. “He discovered it by accident while searching for a book and has been doing what he can to learn about his gift. The book indicated that the only real way for a Parselmouth to understand their gift was to converse with a snake the only problem is, he does not have one and we thought it would be unwise for him to sit around speaking with one of the few portraits that has a snake in it.”

Imogen nodded, “The locations of those few paintings are unfortunate. Just outside Professor Snape’s office, here in the common room or across from the headmaster’s office. Even if this friend was a Slytherin, it would be ill advised to speak with any of those painted snakes. I take it he does not want someone to purchase a snake for him?”

“No,” Daphne almost smiled, “he is considering finding a snake companion but thought it better for it to be a mutual decision between him and the snake.” 

The snake around the older girl’s neck let out a small his as though agreeing with the assessment. “I see Shiva approves,” Imogen couldn’t help but smile. “And you suggested coming to me, with the thought that I would be willing to allow him conversing with my dear Shiva?”

“Yes.”

Imogen turned her gaze to the cobra perched on her shoulders. They seemed to have a conversation without words before the young woman nodded. “We are agreed that we would be willing to speak with Harry Potter, with the stipulation that I am present at all times.”

Daphne blinked, her Slytherin mask slipping upon hearing Harry’s name.

“Don’t be so surprised, little snake,” she all but laughed. “While you are perhaps the most cunning of your year, you have a lot to learn if you want to surprise me. I have known you most of your life, Daphne, and I know there are very few you would do this for. Blaise, Harry and Neville are the only ones that are male and Shiva has hissed at both Blaise and Neville before; Harry is the only one she has not met.”

“I see,” Daphne was embarrassed that she was read so easily. “I suppose I should have anticipated you seeing though my evasiveness. He and I discussed what might be required of him should you agree and he is more than willing to allow you to be there with him. In fact, he expected it. Is there anything else that you would like from him?”

“Just for him to translate for me. I would love to know what my friend here is thinking. Though she might request something additional from him as she is my companion.” Imogen ran a hand along the cobra’s head. “To change topics, I am proud of you and your friends. With this chamber business most of the school is turning paranoid. It is rare to see students associating with someone of another house when things are normal; the fact that you continue during this confusing time is even more impressive.”

Daphne nodded and looked around the room, “It has been strange. I don’t think any of us even considered ending or altering our habits. Harry and Hermione grew up outside the wizarding world so never had that ingrown prejudice. Neville and Susan are both so honorable, both trying to live up to what their families stand for, that turning on a friend would be unthinkable. Little Luna is just so happy to have someone stand by her.”

“Malfoy and Zabini?”

“Blaise could care less about house rivalries and would much rather talk quidditch with Harry than Draco or anyone else in our year for that matter. As for Draco, I think he is just so grateful for intelligent conversation that he is ignoring the other option; or it could be his mother’s influence.”

“And what is your reason?”

The young blond stared at the fire for a moment, wondering how much she should share. “I don’t want to be stuck. You know my father has insisted on sharing details about the last war with me and I can’t allow myself to be trapped with only His followers around me. No not all of our house follows His example, but not everyone outside these walls sees that. While I am a Slytherin, cunning and ambitious, that is not all I want to be. I want to be loyal, intelligent, hardworking and brave. If I were to leave Harry, Hermione, Susan, Neville and Luna now I would lose more than half of my closest friends. While I don’t dislike all of the girls in my year here in Slytherin, I also don’t really get along with any of them.” She shook her head slightly, “I suppose what I am trying to say is that I have no desire to limit myself or to hurt those I care about. The right thing to do is to be who I am and stay with those who embrace that.”

Imogen smiled, “You and your friends are the best of us, Daphne. Yes, there are certain things that pull us to one house over the others, but it is those who can learn from the strengths of others that achieve the most in life. Be cunning, loyal, intelligent and brave. Most of all, do what is right.”

“Aldridge,” shouted Flint. “It’s time to have a house meeting.”

With a flick of her wrist, the charm concealing their conversation dissipated. “And what gives you the right to decide that Marcus Flint? Last I checked, I was queen of this house and you were simply the quidditch captain.”

The burly boy smirked, “You have been lax in your duties so I am stepping up.”

Imogen tilted her head and studied the rest of her house. Some looked like they agreed but most looked confused or afraid. “I am not sure what you are talking about Marcus but the fear on the faces of the younger years makes me think I should have paid more attention to your idiocy.” Her eyes flicked to the few individuals flanking her opponent. All were known supporters of the Dark Lord’s dogma. “Am I correct in my assumption that you wish to speak about the Chamber and our stance as a result?”

Flint nodded with a smirk, “I think it is time we made our stance clear so people like the little Greengrass bitch know their place.” Imogen saw the scowl that spread across Daphne’s face at that. “We are Slytherin students so we stand with the Heir. Slytherin stands together so we need to stop associating with others.”

She blinked slowly, surprised by the hatred in his voice. “And what if Harry Potter were to reveal that he was the Heir?” Before anyone could speak, she continued, “No one has stepped forward to claim ownership of this status. In all honesty, anyone in this school with a long bloodline could claim kinship to the house of Slytherin. Based entirely on longevity, Draco Malfoy has more chance of having a blood connection to Salazar Slytherin than anyone else here due to his mother’s Black blood but he continues to converse with people outside this house.” She turned to Draco, “Tell me, Malfoy, why do you continue to speak with muggleborns, half-bloods and purebloods from different houses?”

“Intelligent conversation,” he answered in a bored tone, taking his que from Imogen. “Plus, if you hadn’t noticed, I am making connections. Susan Bones Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter come from influential lines and are good contacts for my future. Hermione Granger is far smarter than anyone else in our year, though Harry does his best to keep her on her toes; I have a feeling she will do great things in the future. But ultimately, I stay because I actually like most of them.” He examined his nails, “I suppose I could act like a coward and refuse to speak with them because someone claims to be the heir but I think it would be better for my own interests to continue as I am now until I have more information. That is what my mother would do.”

“Turney,” Imogen looked to a seventh-year standing near the door, “are you going to break up with your girlfriend?”

“I would rather not. She did agree to marry me and my mother loves her more than she loves me.” Benedict Turney was engaged to a Ravenclaw in his year. “I have also known her my whole life so I am fairly certain I know she would never betray my trust. Personally, I think it is rather stupid and pathetic to judge someone based on where they sleep at night.”

A truly evil smirk crossed Imogen’s face then, “Perhaps we should ask Professor Snape his opinion. I wonder what he would think of his house deciding to treat the rest of the school as enemies.”

“You know as well as I do that Snape thinks of his snakes first, last and always. He doesn’t care about the other trash that walks through the halls.”

What Marcus failed to see, but many others did, was that Professor Snape had entered early on in the discussion. He had been behind Marcus and his group before Imogen had even started to respond. “I find it surprising that a student would think to know my mind.” Their head of house said in a dangerously quiet voice. “I would also like to remind you, Mr. Flint, that I went to the aid of your charms professor last year to save his house from your former defense professor. A defense professor who was possessed by the Dark Lord and who killed a member of this house later that day.” The students around the room watched as the quidditch captain flinched, “Yes, my first thought is the health of my snakes but I also think of the other students. Were I not to think of their safety, I would be a poor teacher indeed.” He sighed and walked toward the fireplace, “Perhaps it is time for a house meeting.”

The students knew to gather around, allowing those of younger years to take the closest positions and the tallest in the back. No one said a word.

“We are the house of Slytherin. We are cunning and ambitious.” Severus Snape looked at each student. “I fear that what defines this house has been altered by fear and misunderstanding. We should not seek our own glory by taking the dignity and hard work from others. Greatness is not achieved by cowardly means.” As he spoke, he met the eyes of those he was most worried about. “I did not grow up in a rich household like many of you. I had to fight to achieve what I have. My family name meant nothing to anyone so no one was waiting to give me funds to pursue my mastery without large stipulations attached. I was not popular in school; I could count my true friends on one hand and the truest of them wore red and gold.

“I had hoped that the death of your housemate last year would have shown you that the Dark Lord does not think of you when he asks for your assistance. He does not look for your glory, he looks only for his own and he will sacrifice you to get it.” There was fear now, outrage in very few. “Do not take my word for it. Do your research and see who destroyed more of the pureblood houses in the last war. If you look, I am sure you will find it was the Dark Lord and not those who opposed him.

“There is someone here claiming to be continuing Salazar Slytherin’s dream by eradicating muggleborn students. He also claims that destroying those who question him is the right thing to do, but what right does this person really have? No one is born with the authority to decide who lives and dies, but he is claiming that is his job.” Severus Snape continued, speaking quietly but knew he had all of his students’ attention. “We are all different. Not all of us are pureblood and those of you who are do not have the same history of blood. Some are foreign, some can trace their lines back to the beginning of magical Britain and some are hiding that they are in fact half-bloods.

“Look around you, can you honestly say you could kill a member of this house because their parent was a muggle or a muggleborn? Could anyone in this room walk up to a first year Hufflepuff and kill them because their parents were dentists?” He paused letting his question sink in and a great deal of confusion. He ignored that, knowing that it wasn’t important for them to know just what a dentist was. “This so-called heir states that he would. Are you alright with that? Hogwarts should be united. We should all hope to learn and grow so that we can survive life after school.

“It is time for you all to choose. Are you going to follow a murderer, or are you going to take the high road?” 

The bloody Baron stood in the corner and bowed his head. He had once been what those angry students were. Misguided by anger and loneliness he had destroyed his love and his own life because of that rage. He wished that he’d had a teacher like the head of Slytherin that stood before the students now. The young teacher may have started out exceptionally rocky but he had proved himself with that speech. His sincerity and calm would lead most to a path they might not have considered had he not spoken when he did. Severus Snape would not save them all from their parents’ bigotry but most would be changed by his words. Perhaps, Hogwarts could one day be united against the tyranny of distrust that seemed to run rampant through the world they lived in. The Baron was almost excited to see what would come of this generation of youths.

**Hogwarts Castle**

Susan Bones stood staring out the window on the fifth floor of the school. Her hands rested on either side of a picture of her and Hannah. It was a picture from their first day of school, before they got on the train for the first time. Back then, they had been so close; nothing could have torn them apart. Now it seemed their friendship was disintegrating. 

She was not entirely sure how she had gotten to the fifth floor but the view of the moon reflecting off the lake was soothing. The redhead had always thought that being in Hufflepuff was a good thing. She thought it meant that those around her were more tolerant of differences; more accepting of observation instead of rumor or stereotype. 

It broke her heart that one of her best friends believed the opposite.

“Give her time, Susan Bones,” someone said behind her. “She will come around and see the error in her ways.”

Susan turned to find Luna Lovegood behind her, a book wrapped in her arms. Luna was different. Sometimes she was just a little bit strange but Susan was beginning to see that the strangeness of the younger girl was what made her special. “I hope you are right, Luna.” 

“You are a good judge of character; you would not have made friends with her if she was that short sighted.” Luna moved so that she stood directly beside the redhead and placed the book on the window sill, right next to the picture of Hannah and Susan.

“I think I needed to hear that,” she smiled at the younger girl. It would do no good asking Luna how she knew about the fight Susan had with Hannah; Luna wouldn’t answer in a way that anyone would understand. “What are you doing out this late?”

“I knew you needed me,” for once Luna gave a simple answer, devoid of additions outside the norm. “I will always be there for my friends.”

Susan wrapped an arm around the younger girl’s shoulders, “Me too.”

The too stood for a time, enjoying the silence and the company. Both jumped when they heard a strange noise.

Turning, with wand in hand, Susan could see nothing out of the ordinary. “What was that?”

“I do not know,” Luna shook her head and turned back to the window. “I think maybe we should head back to our houses though. It is late and the Wrack Spurts are acting strangely.”

Susan nodded, turning back to the window to grab her picture. Before turning around, she looked out the window one last time. Instead of seeing the moon reflected off the water she saw a pair of large yellow eyes.

As one, Susan and Luna fell to the ground eyes open but unseeing.

A young man stood behind them, a gleeful, malicious smile on his face. “That is what you get for siding with my enemies.” He laughed at his luck. “All who oppose Lord Voldemort will fall, Mudblood, halfblood and blood traitor alike. Your allegiance was to Harry Potter, my enemy, so this was always your fate.” He turned on his heel, headed back the way he came. “Come my pet, there are more enemies to punish.” 

Malicious laughter bounced off the stone corridor as the young man walked away from his victims. He did not look back.

The one who served him paused before following. Deep sorrow was prevalent in her large eyes. Internally she was at war. A voice laughed in just as much joy as the speaker she was forced to obey to a point. The rest of her was glad for the amount of control she did still have. If it not for certain orders of old, two innocent girls would be dead on the castle floor. 


	22. The Consequences of Inaction

**Great Hall**

Septima Vector was worried. All the professors were, at least she hoped her boss was actually worried, but she was also concerned for another reason. Arithmancy was her specialty and her mage sight gave her an added insight to the stability of Hogwarts and her magic. 

While settling in for the night, having finished grading essays already, she had felt the castle swell in what could only be pleasure. Septima wasn’t sure what had caused it but she had a feeling it was something to do with uniting the houses against the darkness that seemed to be building. It had been impossible to do anything but bask in the warmth radiating in the air, even if she was the only one who really felt it. 

When she had finally been able to drag her overly relaxed body to bed, she had expected to sleep soundly and completely until her alarm awoke her in the morning. Being jolted awake at two something in the morning by feelings of rage, despair and confusion was more than unexpected. Sir Nicholas had found the Susan Bones and Luna Lovegood petrified on the fifth floor and the castle had known a second later because of his connection to her. Filius had been pounding on her door less than ten minutes later for the emergency staff meeting being held at three. 

She had spoken with Filius, Severus, Bathsheda and Remus as they left the meeting. Her colleagues had been just as surprised and concerned as she and each had already planned to pay close attention to certain students that were closest to the victims of the attack. She and Remus in particular would be watching one green-eyed second year.

Now, the staff sat silently at their table at the head of the Great Hall and they waited for the students to arrive. The Headmaster had asked that the elves not serve breakfast until all but the two effected students were present. He had also announced magically that every student needed to head directly to the Great Hall, no excuses would be tolerated. 

The second the headmaster finished announcing the names of the petrified students, Septima was nearly blinded by a surge of magic centered on the Ravenclaw table. Power built and then exploded out from the source. The candles floating above the tables were all extinguished instantly and the empty glasses lining the tables shattered. An unnatural wind seemed to swirl around him, causing his hair to shift with its currents. If anyone else had been watching, they would have seen Harry Potter’s eyes flash becoming even brighter and swirling with unimaginable energy.

A moment later, the magic died down and nearly everything returned to normal. The only proof than anything odd had happened was the little piles of shattered glass on the table. The Headmaster laughed it off and claimed it was he who caused the glass to shatter, though his eyes focused in on Harry with a gleam of intense interest.

The announcement had been devastating for many that morning. Two of their own, two of their youngest had been subject to the same fate as their former defense professor.

While the thought of being petrified was terrifying to everyone in the castle, many students had found it highly amusing that Lockhart had fallen victim to the ‘Heir.’ Had he died, of course they would not have found it funny, but he would only be like that for a few months and then he would be fine. It was, for some, a fitting punishment for the torture he subjected the students to with his personal quiz and inability to control pixies. 

Fellow students being attacked put a whole new light on just how dangerous their situation could become. 

When the Headmaster had called for silence that morning, before any food had even appeared on the table, they had been confused. There were very few students who had any concern that morning, and it was those students who would be hit the hardest. 

Harry and Hermione had not been able to find Luna that morning and none of her dorm mates had seen her since the night before when she claimed that Susan needed her and left the common room. 

Hannah had been angry when Susan wasn’t back before curfew and because of her anger had not mentioned the girl’s absence. When she woke that morning and Susan was still missing, she was worried and immediately went to prefect Littlewood. To say that Littlewood was angered by Hannah’s delay was an understatement. 

The news of where those two students were, and what happened to them, saw fear sweep through the hall in record time. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were both devastated for obvious reasons. The second- and first-year students in particular were saddened. Those of Hufflepuff were also guilty; more than a few wondered if their actions the night before had caused this to happen. 

Gryffindors, while not directly involved, were outraged and wanted to fight whatever force that had attacked two innocent girls. To them this was cowardly and deserved a direct retaliation.

Slytherin was perhaps the most interesting group to watch. The vast majority were scared and saddened like the majority of the school. There were a few that were also shocked in a completely different way. The most obvious of these was Marcus Flint. Marcus had been prepared to stand behind the ‘Heir’ when he started offing the mudbloods but now he was afraid. The two attacked were not muggleborn, nor were they halfblood. Both students that had been petrified were pureblood. The Bones family had a greater standing in their society than his own and while the Lovegood family were often considered odd, they were very long lived. This was not how it was supposed to go.

Hannah Abbot was devastated. The fact that Susan would eventually be revived escaped her for a moment and it made her think about what her last conversation with her best friend had been. The fact that she had essentially said their friendship was over was painful. Throughout the meal she had been inconsolable and honestly, her year mates were just as bad. They all knew they had messed up and they couldn’t wait for the chance to apologize to their missing friend.

The study group was a mess. Directly after the announcement they all congregated to eat, or not eat in most cases, at the Ravenclaw table, even Draco. The other ravens allowed this and also did not say anything about the two spaces the group left for their missing friends.

**Headmaster’s Office**

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office and glared at the wall of portraits. They had yet to say anything but their smug faces said it all. Any moment now, one of those self-important bastards was going to say ‘I told you so,’ and there was nothing he could do to stop them. Sure, he could silence them, but Vindictus had proved time and again that he was immune to that particular power. The worst part was, they had told him. 

More than a dozen former headmasters had made a point to tell him that Lockhead, or whatever his name was, would not be the last. At least seven of them had insisted that he start reaching out to potions suppliers so that he could determine how long it would take to get Mandrakes to the school to make the appropriate potion. Phineas and Vindictus had mockingly told him that his inaction would cause him more pain in the long run and had all but begged him to do just as he did; ignore their sound advice. 

The current headmaster had hoped that things would progress like they had all those years ago when Tom had opened the chamber. No, he had no proof but really who else could it have been? Months had gone between each petrification, not weeks. He had only ever attacked one student at a time and only muggleborn students. Whoever was doing this had really jumped in head first it seemed. Not only did he attack two students but both were from pureblood families. With so short a time between Blockheart, Bones and Lovegood, he was unsure how the rest of the year would progress.

He had told the students that morning and he could see the fear in all their eyes. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were, acceptably, devastated. Gryffindor, as expected, was outraged and he could see their need for justice. What had confused him was the fear and concern on the faces of all of the Slytherins. Where was the vindication? The righteous pride in their brethren’s success?

Harry Potter’s reaction had also pleased him. The boy was meant to be their sword and shield, so seeing his sorrow, anger and determination meant that the boy was still developing as he should, despite not having the correct guidance. He would have to work harder at getting the boy under his tutelage. 

With a heavy sigh, he shifted in his seat so that he was not leaning back in his chair. He supposed it was time to pen a few notes to suppliers to get quotes on Mandrakes. 

“I told you so,” Vindictus said in the blandest tone imaginable. 

“Must you irritate me?”

“I believe we covered this, Albie,” the dark-haired man in the portrait continued, “it brings me extreme pleasure to point out the failings of those who follow me. I would not get quite this much pleasure if you actually were trying.”

“Thank you for proving us right,” Phineas chose to add. “What will you do now? If you don’t get your cards straight, Hogwarts might kick you out.”

“What does it look like I am doing?”

“Owling your lawyers?” Vindictus sneered.

“I am, of course, owling potions suppliers and greenhouses to track down mature Mandrakes for the two students effected. My hope is to have some here no later than the start of next week.” Luckily, most suppliers were out of the country so no one could possibly think it possible for him to move any quicker than that.

Before anyone else could comment, the door to his office slammed open and an enraged head of Gryffindor stormed into the room. “What are we going to do to fix this situation?”

“I am in the process of writing out letters to potions suppliers to track down mature Mandrakes,” he looked at her using his grandfatherly twinkle. “It would not be appropriate to wait for the ones we are caring for after all.”

The woman glared at him, “And why is it that you hadn’t already done that? I know it can’t have escaped your memory that Lockhart was already petrified and would need this same potion.”

“My responsibility,” he said as calmly as possible, “is and always will be the students. I could not justify the cost of acquiring a Mandrake for someone not in the employ of this school when we are already growing them. Now that students are affected, I will make room in the budget to free them of this state that much quicker.”

“You could have started looking after Lockhart,” Vindictus needed to interrupt, “just in case a student was attacked too.”

Minerva smiled triumphantly, “Headmaster Veridian is correct Albus. The truly responsible thing would have been to start looking immediately, just in case.”

Albus sighed dramatically, “Alas, Minerva. Hindsight really is 20/20 after all. We can spend a life time discussing what should have been done but that will only take time away from the actions we are forced to take to rectify the situation.” He went back to his letter, that only had three words written, “was there anything else?”

“Amelia Bones will be here any minute to discuss the Chamber and the security of the school.”

The quill in his hand snapped as he clenched his fists. “And why does Madam Bones know about this? This is a Hogwarts matter and the ministry has no bearing here.”

“Amelia is the guardian of one of the victims. I alerted both her and Xenophilias Lovegood of what happened to the girls. Both are in the hospital wing now, hearing the medical news from Poppy. I have no doubt that Amelia will wish to speak with you.”

“And why did you contact the guardians of the students? We did not do so the last time the chamber was opened.”

“We did not contact the parents last time,” Headmaster Dippet interjected, “because the affected children were all muggleborn and their parents could not come here to see their children. If you remember, I had Mandrakes to the school within four days of the first petrification, no matter the cost.”

“And you had the wrong student punished,” it was weak but it was his only comeback.

“Perhaps but Tom was a model student and a prefect. Hagrid, while nice enough, was known for getting in trouble for his attachment to one beast or another. The incidents stopped directly after he was removed from the castle.”

“Because Tom didn’t want to be barred from Hogwarts. He didn’t want the school to close because that would have meant he was stuck at the orphanage and muggle school.”

“While this is all fascinating,” Madam Amelia Bones said from the doorway, her anger plain to see. “It is not why I am here. Thank you for contacting me, Minerva.” She nodded at the Transfiguration mistress. “Your boss should have done it but I suppose as long as I was contacted, I can overlook the deviation from policy.”

“I am sorry you had to come all the way here, Amelia,” his twinkle in place, “I assure you I have everything in order.”

“I don’t think so, Dumbledore,” Amelia seethed. “You see, if you had everything under control, you would have called the Aurors when Gilderoy Lockhart was attacked. You would have also already been in contact with a greenhouse or potion supplier so that you could heal those attacked. Had you done what you should have done, then Poppy would have been able to tell me when my niece, my only remaining family, would be healed. Instead, Albus ‘too many names’ Bloody Dumbledore didn’t do any of that. Instead, he sat on his ass, sucked on a lemon drop and waited for the situation to get worse.” Amelia slammed her hands down on his desk, looming over him. “Am I correct in my assumption that you had no intention of informing the guardians of the students that were attacked last night? Did Minerva go behind your back to call me?”

“Now, Amy,” he raised his hands in a placating manner, “you know that Hogwarts predates the ministry. The ministry cannot act on behalf of Hogwarts.”

“Don’t start with me old man. There has to be some way that the school could ask for assistance.”

“Actually,” Headmistress Derwent pipped up, “the ministry can aid Hogwarts with the permission of the headmaster or the combined permission of three of four heads of house.”

Minerva smirked, “Luckily the house ghosts have been keeping me updated on obscure policies, just in case. It turns out, all four heads of house thought it was a good idea to not only inform the parents of the students but to ask the DMLE for assistance.”

“I believe the charter also states you need approval from the governors to supersede the headmaster,” he said triumphantly.

Phineas Black smirked in his portrait, “Actually, this policy was written before the formation of the board so Minerva does not need to even bring this up with the board. But even if she did, I think they would side with her anyway, Albie.”

Amelia looked at the painted man then at Minerva, “I thought the portraits were here to help the headmaster, not argue against him.”

“My dear,” Vindictus Veridian sneered, “we are here for the benefit of Hogwarts. We advise the headmaster but there is nothing written anywhere that says we have to help him when he is being an idiot. We can shut up and watch you fail but I personally enjoy watching Dumbles squirm.”

Amelia blinked several times, still looking at Minerva. The Transfiguration master shrugged, “Vindictus greatly enjoys making everyone feel like an idiot. He is quite literally the bane of Albus’s existence.”

The head of the DMLE stared at her momentarily, somewhat confused that the magic of Hogwarts would allow such aggressive attitudes in the portraits of former headmasters. “This is your warning Albus. You have until Monday morning; it will take me that long to get my team set up and brief those I plan to put in place; unfortunately, I have to take extra time to make sure that none of them are blinded by your reputation as the ultimate leader of the light. It will be a lesson some of them need to learn. No man is infallible. At breakfast in five days, my Aurors will be here in the castle ensuring that everyone is where they should be and that sane rules have been laid down for the students and staff. If I don’t like them, then I am taking over, whether you like it or not.”

“And she will have the backing of the heads. We can no longer allow you to treat the safety of the students so cavalierly.” There was nothing but disappointment in her eyes as she looked at the man she once considered her hero. “I don’t know what happened to you, Albus but I cannot respect the man you have become.”

All around the school, students, teachers, ghosts and creatures alike heard a clang. Hogwarts could not agree more with the sentiments of the fierce witches facing off against an old man with delusions of grandeur.

**Hospital wing**

Hannah Abbot arrived at the hospital wing both afraid and anxious to see her friend. Hearing that someone you care about was petrified just didn’t tell you much. She had spent the morning in classes not paying attention, imagining what her friend might look like right now. Would she look different? Did petrification mean she had been turned to stone? Encased in glass? Covered in something?

Would there be evidence of the attack? Would her eyes be open or closed? Would it look like she was sleeping? 

Her imagination was driving her crazy and she found herself flinching at every noise, real or imagined, expecting someone to jump out and attack her too. Worst of all, no one seemed to understand. Her year mates had tried to comfort her or offer up hope but it had only resulted in her getting angry and yelling a them. Her irrational behavior came to a head in the Great Hall at lunch. She had just gotten done yelling at Ernie, again, when Cedric and prefect Littlewood stepped in. Cedric had told her to calm down, for which she was about to scream at him, when Littlewood had told her that she had two options.

The first was to take a calming drought. The second, and the one the girl obviously wanted her to choose, go see Susan for herself. Luckily, the professors announced that classes for the rest of the day had been cancelled due to the incident and the complete lack of attention they were getting from students, so she could spend the rest of her day ensuring that Susan was uninjured or at least on the mend, even if she couldn’t respond.

Hannah took a deep breath when she found herself standing just outside the hospital wing. The doors were large and more than a little intimidating. She actually hadn’t been here once so had never had the chance to see them before. 

Looking around the large room when she finally got the courage to open the door, she found her destination but she was not pleased. Hannah saw red when she saw who was surrounding the only occupied beds in the ward. 

“This is all your fault,” she screeched. “If you had just stayed with the other slimy snakes then Susan would be safe, with me. How dare you come here just to gloat about what you caused?”

Six students turned their attention to the irrational blond storming into the ward. 

“Hannah,” Neville started, raising his hands in a calming way. He was not able to continue. 

The first interruption was expected. Madam Pomphrey did not like shouting in her ward and made her opinion known quickly. The Matron had only managed to gasp the young Hufflepuff’s name before she too was interrupted.

“How dare you,” one of the young men said quietly but with rage dripping from his tone. Draco Malfoy was done. He was done with the constant questions about his loyalties and the disparaging looks because of his family’s reputation. Enough was enough. “How dare you accuse any of us of causing this to happen to Susan and Luna.” The blond male Slytherin walked with controlled steps toward his Hufflepuff classmate. “I did not think that Puffs were supposed to condemn their peers before they had done anything wrong. I thought your house at least would allow my house mates to let our actions define us, not our parents reputations and actions.” He looked at his friends and could see their pain and anger. “What gives you the right to blame us?”

“You’re just like your…”

“NO, I AM NOT,” Draco roared, cutting her off. Harry placed a hand on his shoulder, allowing him to calm himself briefly. “I am not my father, Hannah Abbot. If I were, I would strut around the castle in the same way that Pansy does. I would throw out insults at every opportunity and would purposefully antagonize Ronald Weasley, just to see his face match his hair. I am not the heir and if I knew who it was, I would curse him. Only a coward attacks defenseless children. It very easily could have been me and I would have no way to defend myself. Do you know why I refuse to act like my father? It’s because he praises a man who tried to murder a baby. How pathetic is that? 

“But that isn’t important.” He looked back to the beds occupied by girls he spent a decent amount of time with. “While I admit I am not very close to Susan and Luna, I do consider them friends. It took me a while to open up to the idea of letting myself have acquaintances outside Slytherin, let alone friends. But I made it there.

“While my father would curse half of them, I would do anything to protect them. I don’t care who Hermione’s parents are. She isn’t her parents and she is far smarter than I am. What I care about right now is the fact that she hasn’t stopped crying since this was announced. 

“Had you told me on the train coming here in our first year that I would be friends with not only Harry Potter but also Neville Longbottom, I would have laughed at you. Now I can’t imagine not sitting at that table in the library studying with them. I wish I was as open as those two are. Right now, I know both of them wish there was something they would do to help Susan and Luna but we all know there isn’t. Harry is so angry that it was them, he is about ready to explode and Neville is right behind him. Merlin, counting Daphne and Blaise as my close friends would have been an impossible thought in those first few weeks of school but it’s the truth. Daphne couldn’t stand me when we were children and my father refused to let me have anything to do with Blaise because of his mother, but I like them. Daphne is far more Slytherin than I am and Blaise is a bigger quidditch fanatic than I will ever be. Most importantly, Daphne would fight a troll to cure them now, while Blaise is ready to sick his mother no whoever is responsible for this.

“I will admit that I find Luna to be strange. The girl talks about things that no one else can see but she is also the most perceptive person I have ever met.” He studied Hannah for a moment, she was still angry but it looked like she was finally listening. “Did you know that Luna left the Ravenclaw common room last night because of the fight you had with Susan?”

“How could she…” Hannah started but was unable to finish her question because of her confusion. No Ravenclaw would have known about that unless one of her classmates told them but no one but Susan had left the dorms after the fight.

“Harry told us about it this morning after the announcement. Somehow Luna knew that Susan needed a friend so she went. Though it might sound terrible, I am glad that Luna is the way she is because it means Susan wasn’t alone and I hope she and Luna had a chance to talk before the attack because no one can hold onto anger or pain if Luna is around.”

Draco sighed and closed his eyes. “Hannah, what you don’t seem to get is that Susan is my friend and it is my understanding that friends don’t turn on each other. If I was the Heir, do you really think Susan and Luna would be my first student victims?”

“He is much more likely to choose Ronald Weasley,” Blaise added with no trace of humor.

Hannah sniffed and shook her head. “I don’t care what you say. You’re the reason she is here. You may not be the one who picked her but if it wasn’t for you slimy snakes we would not have gotten into a fight and she would not have left. If she had stayed in the common room, someone else would be laying in that bed and I would still have my best friend.”

“That is not how that works, Hannah,” Neville said in a quiet voice. “I assume your fight was about our study group and I am guessing you told Susan she would have to make a choice, you or the study group.” Neville waited for her reluctant nod before continuing. “Do you trust Susan?”

“With my life?”

“If that is the case, then why can’t you trust her judgement about us?”

“I trust you Neville.” Hannah glared at the Slytherin students, “I just don’t trust them.”

“But I trust them. Harry and Hermione trust them. Luna and Susan trust them, so why can’t you? Why does Susan need to abandon her friends to continue to be your friend?”

“Would you be afraid of me if I had been sorted into Slytherin?” Harry asked. “It was a possibility.”

“But you’re Harry Potter. You defeated You-Know-Who.”

“But I also have a lot of ambition, a known Slytherin trait.” Harry watched her struggle with that. “It is my opinion that there is a little Slytherin in everyone. Susan’s dream of becoming the Head of the DMLE like her aunt is extremely ambitious.”

“Harry is right.” Daphne stepped up next to the green-eyed boy. “To take it a bit further, none of us are just one type of person. I think I am very hard working; I have to be to keep up with my Ravenclaw friends, and if I am not mistake that is typically a Hufflepuff trait.”

Madam Pomphrey stepped in front of the girl then, “You should listen to them. Eventually, everyone realizes that your house does not define you. It is our hope that you learn that here, but some don’t realize it until they get jobs and realize they can’t refuse to work with the guy across the hall because he was sorted into a different house.” She led the distraught girl to a chair near Susan’s bed. “Do you think I am evil?”

“You’re a healer, you can’t be evil.”

“Ah, but I was a Slytherin when I was a student myself, so based on your attitude toward Mister Malfoy, Miss Greengrass and Mister Zabini, I must also be evil.” Shock crossed Hannah’s face causing the Matron to nod, “it is my opinion that your house should really only matter on the quidditch pitch. Cheering for your team is all well and good as long as you aren’t hexing opposing fans in the hallways.”

“I just want her back,” Hannah all but sobbed. “Why did everything have to change? Why did she leave me behind?”

“Everything changes, no matter how hard we wish it didn’t.” The group turned to see Amelia Bones standing in the doorway. From her expression, it looked as though she had been there for a while. “She invited you to follow her, Hannah, it was your choice to refuse. Susan is meeting new people and expanding her world, something I approve of whole heartedly. If I remember correctly, I had a conversation with the two of you before you left Hogwarts about the people and choices that would be opening to you.”

“And you told us not to abandon each other.”

Amelia raised a hand, “I told you that true friendship was rare and should be cherished. I also told you that Hogwarts would show you who your true friends were and would introduce you to the people who may very well shape your future. People are unique. No one is exactly like someone else and children are not their parents. Who we are is a choice and is tempered by how we are raised? Hannah, you can’t allow the fear of what might happen to drive a wedge between you and Susan, but you can’t avoid everyone just because you haven’t known them for ten years either.” 

“I’ve never met my parents,” Harry said sadly, “but I hope I am someone they would be proud of.”

“My parents spoil me, but I don’t do everything they say.” Draco shrugged. “My father would insist that Hermione is incapable of being better than me at anything but the reality is, she gets better grades than me in every subject most of the time, but I believe I already covered that.”

“We want to be your friends, Hannah,” Neville had moved back to stand by Susan’s bed and placed a hand on the petrified girl’s arm. “But, as far as I am concerned, we are a package deal. Harry is my first friend and because of him I have the people in this room. Fred, George, Cedric and Roger, all people that I probably never would have had the bravery to speak to if not for my first friend. I will admit that I never thought I could possibly like Draco Malfoy but he has proven to be a loyal friend despite what his father thinks of us.” He sighed, “My gran doesn’t like the fact that I am friends with Draco, she threatened to take away my access to the greenhouses, but I stood up to her.”

“Susan keeps mentioning that she invites you to study with us,” Blaise shook his head. “She usually makes excuses for you, such has you have other plans, but we were fairly certain that Draco, Daphne and I were the reason you never joined. Honestly, we are okay with that. We know who we are and what we stand for.”

“But we hope that one day you will see things the way Susan does.” Daphne’s voice was quiet but clearly heard. “We are all heartbroken that she is here, so why can’t we all watch over her together?”

Harry looked to Amelia Bones, still standing behind Hannah, before offering the blonde Hufflepuff his hand, “Will you join us, Hannah?” 

The lone Hufflepuff slowly reached out her hand and took the one offered to her. She nodded and allowed the green-eyed boy to pull her to the bed. In deference to her discomfort, Neville and Hermione stood on either side of Hannah, leaving a space for Susan’s aunt if she joined them. 

Harry, for his part, didn’t think he could stand there any longer. When he had heard about the attack, his emotions had been out of control. Like the others, he was sad, and scared, but more than that, he was angry. This is something that should not have been allowed to happen but he had feared it, though he never expected it to happen to Susan and Luna. He had felt his magic bubbling up in side him and knew he was the reason the candles had gone out and the glasses shattered but he wasn’t sure how his magic had managed it. 

The second it was announced at lunch that the rest of the day’s classes had been canceled, he had left for the hospital wing. His friends had been hot on his heels, all of them forgoing lunch in favor of seeing their friends were alive with their own eyes. Harry and Hermione had been most concerned with the possibility of death. They had come across a possibility for what Slytherin’s monster might be the night before but had not had a chance to share their findings with the rest of the group.

A Basilisk. The largest, most deadly serpent in existence. Spiders, the text said, fled from this terrifying beast and both admitted they had seen less of the eight-legged creatures in the castle that year. Additionally, Harry had heard Hagrid complaining about something attacking his roosters and it was said that a rooster’s call was the only thing that could kill the snake. Most terrifying of all, Basilisks could kill with a glance. It all fit, in a sick sort of way and Harry had to wonder if no one had ever discovered this because they just didn’t want to believe it could be true so refused to even look.

Part of him hoped to meet the heir so that he could stop him; the rest feared there would be nothing he could do to protect his friends.

**Corridor, Dungeons – Saturday afternoon**

Marcus Flint was angry. This was not an uncommon state for the sixth-year student but this time it was much more severe. Normally, he was just angry about the normal things. He did not like muggleborn students, he tried not to think of the word Mudblood that often or he would use it and then get in trouble. Students under the age of fifteen annoyed him to no end, because they were just that stupid, even if they were smart. Hufflepuffs were pathetic, Ravenclaws obnoxious. Gryffindors were the subject of most of his ire simply because they were Gryffindors. Even other Slytherins caused him to dream about hexing them. The most prominent in his hex dreams at the moment was Imogen Aldridge, the self-important bitch.

Currently, he was angry about something that usually did not cause him any problems. Quidditch. If there was one place he could almost respect other students it was on the pitch. Though he loathed him, Marcus could admit that Wood was almost as good a captain as he was, and he grudgingly had to admit that Wood was the best keeper in the school and would probably make pro right out of school. He was also willing to take tactics from other teams if they worked. That was what he had been trying to do that day. 

The Ravenclaw team had a practice squad, though they called them reserves. Marcus wasn’t sure if he wanted a whole practice squad or not but was determined to have at least one backup for each position in case of injury or death. Loosing Higgs the way they did last year opened his eyes to the intelligence of Ravenclaws strategy and he had immediately started with having a spare seeker last year. It was a good thing too; Malfoy was a great seeker, though he was not Potter, and having time to train with the team as his reserve had meant that they weren’t starting from scratch this year. His goal for the day was to find a pair of beaters. He wanted a pair because good beaters were surprisingly hard to find and one of the current ones was always in danger of being on academic suspension from the team, Snape did not let you participate in the team if you were failing any classes. 

His irritation came with the fact that one of the boys who had bugged him about it all year last year had not shown. Five hopefuls had shown to his little tryout that day and Flint had only liked one of them. He had seen the pair of moronic simpletons, Crabbe and Goyle, play around with the Bludgers the year before so thought they would be perfect for his team. Both had the build he was looking for, thick with powerful looking arms that with training could be brutal. Most importantly, the pair spent so much time together they were practically the same person, making them able to anticipate each other. Marcus thought they could rival the Weasley twins with enough practice. Crabbe had apparently decided he was too good to try out. 

Goyle had shown, and was the best of the lot of them. The boy really enjoyed hurling Bludgers at people. The third year, Milton, and the fifth years, Pence and Donald, were all puffs in his opinion; too concerned with fair play. Rivers, the sixth year, wasn’t terrible but he refused to work with Goyle or the current first stringers so that made him useless. 

When he saw Crabbe, he was going to hex the little shit.

“At least Goyle looks promising,” Earl Hastings grunted. He was a sixth year like Flint.

“Would have been better if Crabbe showed,” Edgar Winkle sounded bored. Edgar was a fifth year and was quieter than his partner but much more likely to give his opinion. “Saw him last year trying to knock that little Malfoy off his broom. Paired with Goyle, they are formidable.”

“Well, when the boy realizes how he messed up, I’ll hex him, then torture him until he understands that you respect your captain. Then I’ll work his arse off so that he and Goyle become a better team that those twins.”

“You think you can actually get them to be that good?” Edgar wondered. 

“Rumor is they were all but raised together so they know each other inside out.”

“Except that Goyle says Crabbe has been acting weird,” Earl added. 

Marcus smirked evilly, “A good hexing should set him straight.”

Earl stopped walking, glaring down the hall. “Looks like now is your chance,” he nodded toward the young boy standing in the opening to a passageway none of them remembered seeing before.

“Crabbe,” Marcus shouted, causing the boy to turn. Oddly enough, he also smirked. “I told you to go to the pitch, and instead I find you sculking around in the dungeons. Do you enjoy wasting my time?”

Edgar took a step back, unsure of why he was suddenly felling uncomfortable. The boy’s smile seemed extremely creepy. “Maybe we should go.”

Before they could decide to hex or leave, Crabbe hissed. Behind him, a large shape appeared over his shoulders. The trio saw a large yellow eye and fell to the floor and knew no more.

**Abandoned Classroom**

Fred and George Weasley were concerned with the state of things. Before Harry, they might not have thought about potential dangers but their new brother had shown them that anything could happen to anyone. To prove that point, Susan Bones and Luna Lovegood were attacked and petrified by the supposed ‘Heir’ of Slytherin. 

If this guy was trying to claim to be the ‘Heir,’ he probably should have started off attacking muggleborn students. The twins may not subscribe to the pureblood only ideas but they knew people who did and they would NOT appreciate the attack on Susan in particular. The Bones family while typically light, was extremely well respected even amongst the darkest of family because they resected tradition. Attacking Susan really had been a mistake on the ‘Heir’s’ part if he expected to have any support.

The twins were doing something they never thought they would do. They were taking precautions. It hadn’t come yet, but they expected restrictions were going to be placed on the movements of the students. The staff would see it as a potential precaution against future attacks, particularly the staff that actually cared about student safety. Professor Flitwick would be at the head of any safety measures and they were sure Sprout, Snape and McGonagall would back him quickly, even if the headmaster would make it seem like his idea. 

Fred and George Weasley were not stupid, despite what many thought. They also tended to be great judges of character. Something about the headmaster just didn’t sit right with them. Fred thought it was his garish choice in robes, while George was sure he was hiding something under that twinkle. 

“Are the potions all is stasis?” Fred asked from his position at their storage shelves. 

George nodded, finishing the last spell, “They are. Everything should keep until we take the spells down. If it doesn’t, they are all at stages that will still be safe if something goes wrong. The worst we will get is a cauldron full of cement in that one on the end.” 

“Drawers are all locked up tight too. The rarest stuff is in my bag, just in case.”

“Perfect. At least we will be able to tell Harry that we won’t be wandering off until this is all sorted. I don’t want to disappoint or worry our little brother.”

“Especially not after Luna and Susan were attacked.” Fred shook his head, “I know the Heir was probably going to go after Harry to begin with but did he think it was a good idea to piss him off first? The kid is scary when it comes to bullies.”

“I’m glad we decided that we would never target a single person with pranks.” George slung an arm around his brother’s shoulders, “I don’t want to have Harry as my enemy.”

Fred staggered dramatically, “The horror of such a thought. Having Harry Potter, honorary Weasley twin, not loving Gred and Forge is just to terrifying to imagine.”

“Too true Forge,” George chuckled under his breath. “And while I love a good dramatic scene, I think it is time we head down to the great hall. Dinner will be served shortly and I suspect there will be some serious announcements.”

“Sometimes, oh smarter twin, you really are wet blanket.”

“For that I am sorry, my more attractive twin, but in this case, it must be done. For Harry.”

Stepping out into the hall Fred looked at the mirror on the wall and nodded, meeting his brother’s eyes. “For Harry.” 

“Passage behind the tapestry of the elephant or the one behind the suit of armor that leads to the picture of the ogre?”

Fred shoved his brother toward the left-hand side of the corridor, directly in front of the tapestry passage, “Elephant. Harry would appreciate the quicker route today and we have no need to stalk any snakes on their way to the Great Hall.”

“See Fred, you can make the more responsible choice when you want to,” George smirked as he pushed the fabric aside.

“Ah,” a strangely toned voice said, causing the twins to focus on the opening. “More victims.”

Fred raised an eyebrow at the shorter boy, “What do you want little snake?”

“And what do you mean victims,” George sounded just a little nervous. 

“Just what I said,” the boy smirked, pointing his wand at them, the tip glowing with power. “More victims for the Heir of Slytherin.”

The twins backed up quickly and started to reach for their wands.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” his eyes hardened. “While I am trying to avoid it while in the school, I am not afraid of casting a certain unforgiveable at you if I need to.”

“All right,” George raised his hands, “I won’t go for my wand but I would like to know when you discovered you were the Heir Crabbe. It is Crabbe isn’t it?”

The boy laughed, his tone dripping with malice and amusement. “You really think that lame child could pull this off. No, I may be using Crabbe but he is not me. I am greater than any before or after. I held a country ransom and it is my destiny to rule it.”

“So, you’re Vol... Voldemort then,” Fred gulped. “Is this like Higgs from last year? Did you possess this second year? Is he going to die when you are done with him?”

Crabbe’s shoulders moved in a shrug, “It is different from last year but the boy will still die, but his father would have gleefully offered him up if I had asked so you really shouldn’t think anything of it.”

“If you aren’t afraid of killing him, why haven’t you killed us yet?” George realized that was probably not the thing to ask but at this point he didn’t expect to live out the day anyway. 

“And keep my pet from having any fun? I think not. She has been arguing with me a little too much so I plan to force the issue. You will be the next victims of my dear, powerful Basilisk pet.”

Fred, seeing that the end was near, felt braver than he really ought to be, “So you’re too much of a coward to kill us yourself, your going to force a snake to do it for you?”

“No, I think it is just that Crabbe is too weak to cast those sorts of spells. He is afraid we will figure out that we could easily over power him.”

Crabbe’s face turned red, “AVADA…” he stopped himself. “No, I don’t want Albus to stick his large nose into this just yet. I need to take care of a few more people before I reveal myself. There is still too much that still needs to be done.” He continued to walk them backward. _“Open,”_ he hissed and a wall behind the twins opened. _“Come my pet and meet some friends of mine. I expect you to kill these ones and I will be quite displeased if you fail me.”_

_“I can not kill what is not a threat to the school.”_

_“I am your master,”_ he thundered in Parseltongue.

“Do you think that is Voldy or Crabbe’s talent?” Fred wondered.

“Voldy. It has to be Voldy.”

“Do shut up,” Crabbe/Voldemort growled. He gripped them each by one arm and forced them to turn. “Meet my friend the Basilisk.” With a smirk of his lips, twin red heads fell to the ground, alive but very much petrified. 


	23. Of Restrictions, Safety and Investigation

**Albus Dumbledore**

It was all falling apart. 

Somehow, Albus Dumbledore, leader of the light, smartest, most powerful wizard in existence was being pushed aside. His reputation was in tatters, the school wasn’t obeying him, his teachers were a step away from mutiny, and the darkness was upon them. This was the time he was most needed. If there was ever a time for someone to take his advice, do as he said, it would be now. The light should be gathering, rallying around his banner so that together they could fight back the darkness and restore peace, just like he planned. 

Nothing was going to plan. Everyone was behaving like spoilt children, because compared to him they were all children, even the teachers. Didn’t they know you were supposed to look to your elders? 

He knew who was to blame, there could really only be one culprit. Harry Potter. He was too much like Tom. Honestly, he should have seen this coming. They had similar power levels and had that same charisma. Both boys had taken longer to sort than most, meaning they were complicated children. The students flocked to Harry just as they had to Tom. There were very few eleven-year-olds that could influence the older students but both Harry and Tom had done that. The only real difference he saw, beyond house, was Harry’s ability to fly. Tom had been dreadful on a broom, his only failing. 

Harry must have met Tom’s shade and bonded with it, or perhaps the Horcrux had taken over and there really was no Harry Potter left to speak of. What else would explain Harry’s inability to trust him? He was so sure if Harry still existed that he would crave a grandfather figure, a figure which Albus was so prepared to fill. He would have to look into that once he fixed this mess with the Heir. 

It was going to take something truly drastic to fix this. Maybe he should bow out. If he left willingly, sighting the lack of trust between himself and the staff, and maybe his busy schedule, then perhaps he could come back as the hero later. Yes, that might do it. If he left before Tom killed anyone, then he could come sweeping back in when the deaths start piling up. Unfortunately, there would have to be more than one this time. They really did need to learn their lesson, so he couldn’t save them after only one child died. With the way Tom was going about it this time it wouldn’t be long before the deaths started. A few weeks or a month at most and he would sweep in and fix things. 

Not that he knew how to fix this but he supposed he could do more research into what was actually attacking the students. And, if he was going to fix things, he would need some assurances. The school would have to come to heel. There would be no more threats about evicting him. The teachers would have to toe the line as well. Severus, Minerva and Filius were particularly irritating, perhaps he would have them take an oath. The new history teacher would have to go, and while he liked Remus, he would have to go as well; the students did not need consistent teaching of defense, not yet at least. Most importantly, he would need unlimited access to Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom. If Harry was truly gone, then the Longbottom boy would have to do. The wizarding world needed its sacrifice, hero, after all.

Oh, and Vindictus. The castle would have to agree to get rid of Vindictus’ portrait. He should probably get rid of Phineas Black too. Dippet could be irritating. He would just have to ask that all portraits be removed and that from this point forward, only his portrait would grace the Headmaster’s walls. Albus Dumbledore was too important to training young wizards not to be here, even after death. Maybe he should insist that his portrait be hung in the Great Hall so he could instruct the students too. 

Yes, that was a workable plan. Let the school realize its mistake in not trusting him, then he would save the day and subtly rub it in their faces. The teachers would listen and Harry would be his to mold. In a few years, when the wizarding world looked like it was going to fall, he would lead Harry to his suicide and Albus Dumbledore would pick up the pieces, singing the boy’s praises. 

Albus Dumbledore popped a lemon drop in his mouth and smiled. All was not lost. He could fix this; it would just take some patience. In all honesty, this was probably for the best. The people needed to see that they were helpless without him before things got really bad. He would wait a few days and then announce at the feast on Saturday that he would be leaving. His staff would learn of this at the same time as the students and the castle, it was better for them to not try to talk him out of it or have any advanced warning. Minerva deserved to be hung out to dry for once. 

In his office, with only portraits to watch, Albus Dumbledore laughed.

**Minerva McGonagall**

The deputy headmistress of Hogwarts was stressed. Stress was not an uncommon thing for a teacher and was even less strange for her as deputy head and a head of house but for some reason, her current stress levels were harder to bear than usual. A part of her knew that this was an uncommon situation and additional stress was to be expected but that did not mean she would just roll over and accept it.

Minerva McGonagall had gone into teaching because she enjoyed it and she wanted to make a difference in the lives of children. She had agreed to become a head of house, again, because she wanted to make a difference but also because she honestly enjoyed helping and molding students into their more adult selves. It did not surprise her that she was seen as strict and intimidating by her students, that was entirely true; in fact, she was the way she was because she felt it was the best way to protect her students. 

The Transfiguration instructor was a Gryffindor and would not go down without a fight.

Upon finding not only the Weasley twins, but also three upper year Slytherins petrified, the Heads of House sat down with most of the rest of the teaching staff to hash out new safety measures for the students. Minerva had ‘forgotten’ to tell Albus about the staff meeting, wanting to avoid his ideas on safety. A part of her rebelled against putting so many restrictions on the student’s movements, it seemed a bit too much like a prison, but at the same time she knew it was the best way to keep track of them all. Each student that had been attacked had been out in the halls outside of normal class hours and no where near meal times leading them to believe the heir had to sneak away before they could attack anyone so they hoped this would hinder the attacker while keeping the students safer.

All students would move together to breakfast in the morning and return as a group to their common rooms after dinner. They would move in groups to and from classes, accompanied by either a teacher or an Auror. Students needed to arrange trips to the library or a potions lab with their teacher beforehand and they had to be escorted. All students would also be stuck in their common rooms at 8:30, no matter their age and would not be allowed to leave until 6:30 the following morning, which was when they would be escorted to breakfast. To her dismay, quidditch was suspended for now; it was entirely necessary though so she could hardly argue. All students would also be required to leave the school come the winter holiday. They were working on making arrangements for students who typically needed to stay for one reason or another. 

Albus had not been pleased when he read through the rules after they had already been posted. The heads had posted the list of rules in the common rooms and had each called a house meeting to discuss them as well so there was no question as to the severity of the situation. She had been right to not involve him in the writing of them. If he had his way, the students only restrictions would be to remain in groups at all time and to limit them to the common rooms between 10 PM and 5:30 AM, which was essentially the rule year round (the prefects patrolling the halls were typically the only students allowed in the halls after ten). It was his opinion that having Aurors on site would be more than enough to ensure all wandering was safe. Luckily, the house ghosts had agreed with the heads and not the headmaster on this. The rules had been posted for six days, and while there was some grumbling, the students had not actually argued, probably because each house was attacked. It seemed to be working as there had been no further attacks and all students remained accounted for throughout the week. Hopefully that would continue after the end of classes that day. Their true test would be the weekend.

Minerva sighed, it seemed discovering the secrets of the chamber was up to her. She rose from the chair behind her desk and made her way out of her office. The students were in classes at the moment and she had a free period before lunch; this was the best time to talk to the one person, or ghost, who might actually know what was going on. 

If the former leader of the light couldn’t pull his head out of his ass and deal with this, then she would.

**Remus Lupin**

Hogwarts had always felt like home to Remus Lupin. Life with his parents had been strained after the attack so their house never really felt like home after the age of four. The magic and acceptance he found at Hogwarts had become a new definition of home for him. He hadn’t realized how much he missed being at the castle until he returned. Wandering the halls and just breathing in the air had always had a calming effect on him; until the attacks anyway. 

The heir of Slytherin was destroying the feeling of safety that Hogwarts should always have for those who live within her walls and he was going to stop him, or die trying. 

There were few who knew the school like Remus Lupin, and most of those who did he had been his friends at school. Only one of those remained, James wad dead, Sirius was recovering from his incarceration but still not completely there and Pettigrew was trapped in a cage in his office while Remus fought with himself on what to do with the rat. He had been surprised to find the idiot. The youngest male Weasley had decided to bring the rat with him to class a few days ago so the rat wouldn’t be lonely in the dorm rooms. The second Remus had seen the fat rat he had known who it was. Getting the rat from the boy had been easier than he thought it would be, all Remus had to do was promise to buy him an owl and the boy had all but thrown the despicable rat at him. He got a sick sense of glee from the fact that the rat trembled in his hands.

Remus had failed to tell anyone about his prisoner.

That was not his biggest concern though. The safety of Harry, and the other students were at the top of his list. Remus knew things about the castle others didn’t because of James and Sirius. Also because of the duo, Remus knew more about the ghosts than most as well. He knew that some ghosts had been at the castle longer than others and that was what was important right now. Sirius had sweet talked the Gray Lady once and she admitted that her name was in fact Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of founder Rowena Ravenclaw. The other interesting ghost was the Bloody Barron. The Barron had been friends with Salazar Slytherin and it was he who Remus was looking for.

“I see you have not forgotten where I like to haunt,” the Barron sighed.

Remus nodded, stepping up next to the ghost. Unknown to most, the Barron liked to spend hours a day on the Astronomy tower because it gave him a perfect view of Ravenclaw tower and one room in particular that his lady love tended to be. “I would never be able to forget. Has she forgiven you?”

“Not as of yet, but that is not why you are here, is it?”

“It is not. I was hoping you would consent to speaking about your life.”

The ghost glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, “I have never agreed to speak of that time with you. Why would I do so now?”

“There are many reasons I could name, not the least of which being that I am not a student any longer but that is not the reason you should consent to speak with me. I think there is something you know about this chamber business and I know you don’t want harm to come to the students. So, I ask you as a teacher, and as a concerned honorary uncle, what do you know about Salazar Slytherin’s Chamber of Secrets? What do you know about his monster?”

For a moment, Remus did not think that the ghost would answer.

“Had you demanded answers or asked in any other way, the bindings on me would not allow me to speak of this.” The ghost looked out over the grounds, “As you know, Salazar was my friend and he made me take a vow to never reveal what I knew of his chamber unless the safety of the school was in danger because of the chamber and my oath continues even in death. The other stipulation was that I could not reveal the truth to someone unless they asked with the intent of protecting the students. Helena is bound similarly. She and I are the only ones who know anything about this.

“Salazar is not what history makes him out to be.” The ghost sounded tired, strange as that was. “He was paranoid and had strong feelings against muggles but not muggleborns. You see, muggles were killing muggleborn children and wizards, when they found them, because they feared them. He wanted to protect magic; it was his methods that drove a wedge between himself and the others.”

“I had guessed that there were parts missing from the story. Nothing is ever as black and white as history makes it out to be,” Remus agreed softly. 

“Indeed. There is much I could say but I think it is important that you know the truth now before it is too late. The creature inside the chamber is something he referred to many times. He did not tell me what the creature was in so many words but I could guess. Knowing your specialty, I will give you what he gave me without my opinions to color your conclusions. If you can find no answer from his words, I will share my opinion.” The ghost breathed in, a habit that did not disappear even though he did not need air to survive, “He always referred to her as his beloved queen of serpents.”

Queen of serpents.

Royalty among snakes.

The most deadly and revered species of snake known to wizards.

A part of Remus Lupin froze in dread, the rest stood there, shaking at the implications of that one reference slammed home. “A Basilisk?” he breathed out quietly, as though afraid to voice his fears. He supposed he should have guessed that long ago. What else would Salazar Slytherin bond with?

“That was the conclusion I drew.”

“How are the students not dead?”

The ghost shook his head. “That I cannot tell you, nor could I guess at a reason. As I said, Salazar rarely spoke of her and did not give me specifics beyond that she was to be a guardian of the school in times of war.”

With a shiver, Remus nodded, “I can see how a basilisk would be useful when facing an army but I also see how that could be a danger to the very students he was trying to protect.”

“I told him of my fears, the same you just named, but he said there was no reason to fear her.”

Remus nodded, “I thank you, but I must go. This is too important for me to wait to tell the others. The students are my priority.”

“Go, Remus Lupin. I sense something is wrong within these walls and the darkness we fear is closer than we think.”

The Baron did not need to turn to know that once again he was alone on the astronomy tower.

**Filius Flitwick**

The Charms master waved to the Auror who was escorting his last class before dinner to their next class; he was lucky enough to have his free period before dinner on Friday as it left him with the potential for an early weekend when things were not so crazy. Now, it just left him with more time to mull over the mysteries surrounding the chamber.

As a head of house, his first priority was always the safety of the students, no matter their house. His job had been made slightly easier with the other heads of house stepping up and taking more care with their students so he could focus more on his Claws. When they had found out about the additional five students that were petrified, Filius had made the decision to pull a certain young man aside and inform him personally. Harry was extremely close to the Weasley twins, closer to them than he was to miss Lovegood, so he thought it best to attempt to control the situation or at least minimize who was exposed to Harry’s reaction.

Upon discovering the five petrified students, the student body was returned to their common rooms, despite how close it was to dinner. The teaching staff had wanted to take a head count and make sure there were no more missing students. The student body knew there was another attack but unless they were Slytherins or Gryffindors, they did not know the identities yet, that would be announced at dinner. He had brought Harry to his office alone, leaving Miss Granger in the common room with the rest of their house, under watch of Septima and Bathsheda. 

Harry had known, upon seeing his face that it was someone close to him. He had feared that it was Cedric or Draco, as he had not seen either boy that afternoon. 

The Charms master had asked him to sit and had assured him that all the attacked students were alive, merely petrified. That assurance did not placate him. Because he was terrified, he told him about the Slytherin students first. Whatever relief Harry might have felt was short live. Learning the twins were the other victims was shocking. Harry Potter had frozen. In fact, it felt as though the vary air around them froze.

Harry had asked where they were found in a deathly calm, quiet voice. When told the location, Harry had deflated. It turned out that the twins were using an empty classroom to create their joke material. The second year had looked at him sadly, claiming that the twins must have been storing everything properly while they were under attack. 

The Charms master had asked Harry to show him their ‘lab,’ so that he could make sure everything was properly stored so nothing could explode. Explosions were a distinct possibility with the Weasley twins. He had thought that Harry had managed to keep his magic in check. Filius had been wrong. Harry’s magical reaction had not come until the small professor resealed the lab, confirming that everything in the room was stored or in stasis. His magic had exploded out, causing a concussive wave to radiate out from him. The only real damage was to the large mirror hanging not far away. The mirror had shattered, the glass raining to the floor in a way that sounded oddly like tears.

Harry Potter had apologized profusely while Filius escorted him back to the common room. 

That had been a few days ago and the student body was adjusting as best they could. It pained the small man to see his students so afraid of the shadows.

Filius was currently contemplating whether or not the school could remain as it was until the Yule holiday or not. He was fairly certain they would not last but he hoped they could. If they could keep the heir under control until the holiday, he was going to bring in the goblins to route out and destroy the monster and find the heir when they returned. The heads had already decided that every student would have to return home for the Yule holiday if the heir was not found before then. Perhaps he should meet with the curse breakers before then and have them scan the students as they were leaving instead. The goblin made a note to owl young Bill Weasley, so that he could deliver a letter directly to his department head to ensure a quicker delivery. 

He nearly jumped out of his seat when his door flew open, slamming against the wall. Filius jerked his head toward the door and blinked owlishly upon seeing Remus standing there, panting. “Remus? What has happened?”

“Salazar’s monster is a basilisk.”

“Dear Merlin,” he squeaked and launched himself out of his chair. “We have work to do.”

**Potions Classroom**

“That will be all for today, as I said at the start of the period, your essay topic is on the board and will be due Wednesday.” Professor Snape said smoothly as the last cauldron was placed on the shelves after being washed. Poorly washed as it was the cauldron belonging to Pansy Parkinson and Sue Li, average students who hated cleaning. “Aurors Dawlish and Robards should be waiting in the hall for you. As you are aware, you are required to accompany them. Slytherins, unless we have spoken previously, you are to return to the common room. Those remaining behind will either be escorted by myself or Auror Dawlish who will return to his post outside the classroom after taking your peers to the Slytherin common room.”

The second year Slytherin/Ravenclaw potions class gave a sigh of relief when class finally ended. This was their final class of the week and they couldn’t be happier. The week had been more stressful than usual because of all the changes. While most understood and were happy with the added security, there were some who couldn’t help but complain, like Pansy Parkinson. Pansy, and those who hung on her every word, felt that the only individuals who should have restrictive movements were the muggleborn students. It was unknown whether she had forgotten the fact that every single student that was targeted was a pureblood or if she was just ignoring it. Draco had actually theorized that she simply thought herself invulnerable in this situation because she knew her father would not stand for her being hurt in any way. Who in their right mind would target a Parkinson? It was unclear if Millicent and Goyle really thought the same way but they did tend to sit there and nod mindlessly when she started ranting. 

“Bulstrode, Goyle, Crabbe,” Professor Snape called quietly before they could exit, “did you forget that you are required to remain behind to work on today’s lesson with me?” 

It had not necessarily been a secret that professor Snape worked with his troubled students after class periods but then again, most didn’t know because they were too terrified of the dark professor to be terrible in his class; students were more likely to seek out the help of their peers to prepare for class then ask the potions master. What was well known was that he remained in the classroom during his free periods to answer questions. In the entire school, there were no more than two dozen students who willingly ventured into the classroom for extra help. Unsurprisingly, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Daphne Greengrass and Harry Potter were typically among those students. 

Two of the three singled out students deflated slightly and slunk back to their seats. Crabbe, however, had been the first out the door and even though he did hear the professor he did not stop, nor did he acknowledge his Head of House. Those left in the room were more than a little terrified of the irritated look the crossed the professor’s face as he stared out the door after the retreating boy. “Detention, Mister Crabbe,” Severus Snape bellowed, knowing that everyone in the corridor would hear him. 

Harry and Daphne, who were just coming to the door exchanged a look, both confused by Crabbe’s recent attitude. The boy was still quiet and rarely spoke but his regular facial expression was rarely blank anymore; in fact, the simple boy seemed angry or scarily gleeful lately. Daphne had shared that Goyle was concerned and confused by the changes in his friend. Daphne placed a hand on Harry’s arm and pushed gently to get him moving again, knowing he wanted to figure out what was going on but they also had an appointment to keep.

As the professor had stated, the two Aurors were waiting for the class. Crabbe stood off to the side, his arms crossed, scowling at the red robed men. 

“Ravenclaws,” Robards called a few feet away. He took a quick count and looked down at his list. “I’m missing one.”

“Hermione Granger stays behind after class,” Harry let the man know from his position beside Daphne. He had let the Aurors know before class that he had permission to study in one of the labs after class so he would not be accompanying his year mates to the common room or library. 

He lifted his head and nodded, “Thanks, Potter. Let’s head out then. Library first for the three who have permission, you better have your slips, and then off to the common room.”

Dawlish watched them go, more than a little bored. He understood the importance of this assignment but he wished he was on the investigative teem and not on the babysitting team. It did help that perfect Auror Robards was also babysitting snot nosed brats but he still hated the assignment. “Right,” he glanced down at his notes, “we have to drop Potter and Greengrass at the labs and then we will head to the common room. Your head of house reports that Greengrass, Bulstrode, Goyle, Crabbe and Malfoy should be studying,” he looked at the thick boy throwing him a death glare, “But it seems one of them has decided he doesn’t need to study so he will be going to the common room. He will also stop glaring at me or I will be reporting his attitude to not only his head of house but also his father.” John Dawlish had to fight the urge to shoot a stinging hex at the little whelp when Crabbe rolled his eyes; luckily, the boy did stop glaring at the Auror. “And this is why I should not be babysitting,” he mumbled under his breath. 

The labs were only a few doors down from the common room so instead of the group moving, they stood outside the classroom and watched the pair walk to the open lab door where Imogen Aldridge stood waiting, as promised. 

“Thank you, Auror Dawlish,” Potter smiled and waved over his shoulder. 

Dawlish, for his part, was both pleased and irritated by Potter. He had been prepared to hate the boy because he assumed, like many, that the boy would be an arrogant toe rag because of his fame. Instead, he was forced to actually like the boy because he was not arrogant but was perhaps the most respectful student he was forced to watch over. Even most of the purebloods were not nearly as respectful despite their upbringing. Most of the Slytherins actually looked at the Aurors as servants, which irritated the Auror even more. There was something seriously wrong with kids these days, in his opinion. No respect, no brains and no idea what the world was really about.

Instead of responding, Dawlish nodded. “Right, start moving. You know where your common room is.”

The only good thing about escorting the Slytherins to their common room after potions was the fact that it didn’t take more than five minutes to get the group there. What had irritated him the first time he had taken them there was the fact that they tried to insist that he couldn’t know the password. He had decided not to tell them that all Aurors in the castle were well aware of all passwords to student common rooms, mostly because he wanted to see which of the idiot children decided to use their brains. It came as no surprise to him that it had been Zabini, Malfoy and Greengrass. Malfoy had been the one to say the password, louder than necessary to prove a point. Zabini had stared at his year mates and told them they were stupid for thinking the Auror would not already have access to the room, while the girl had rolled her eyes and shaken her head. At least those families didn’t have idiots for heirs.

“Crabbe,” the little pug girl hissed. “Where are you going?”

Dawlish looked toward the girl and then further down the hall where the troublesome boy was. “Get to the common room, Parkinson.”

“But…”

“I will take care go Crabbe. If you do not enter your common room right now, I am guessing that your head of house will have you in detention for the rest of the year, just like he will be when we are done with him.” 

The girl pouted, which added to his irritation, but she did comply. 

“Vincent Crabbe,” Dawlish called, loudly, his voice laced with irritation and mounting anger. “You will return to your common room this instant. If you do not comply, I will be forced to take magical action to ensure your compliance.” Part of him hoped the boy would ignore him. He really would enjoy stunning the little idiot since he wasn’t really allowed to do much else.

Crabbe looked over his shoulder with an amused look on his face. Instead of turning around and returning to his class mates, he rolled his eyes and started walking down the hall again. The fact that the boy didn’t even look remotely concerned caused the Auror to pause for a moment and that moment was long enough for the boy to turn down the next hallway. 

“Bloody, buggering, hell,” John Dawlish growled. “I’ll kill him. Not hear and not now, but someday, I will kill that boy,” he muttered under his breath as he jogged after him. 

Coming around the corner, Dawlish found himself at a dead end with the second-year grinning at him with an evil glint in his eye. The fact that Vincent Crabbe was holding his wand in his hand, tip pointed at the floor, was really not concerning to the Auror. He had not lied; he knew the boy’s father and knew that the boy was not particularly talented with a wand. According to his father, Vincent could barely cast a stunner and it rarely knocked anyone out. While he was a pureblood from a traditionally dark family, he did not know many spells because his father hadn’t taught him any after learning just how mediocre the boy was.

“Alright, Vincent,” he glared down at the boy, “you’ve had your fun, but now you have to pay the consequences. You are going to be facing not only your head of house, who is already angry at you, but also Deputy Head McGonagall and she told us there will be no leniency on rule breakers during this crisis. Your looking at detention for months if not suspension.”

Instead of cowering, as he should, the boy laughed. For the first time, Dawlish did not feel so confident. That laugh did not sound like the laugh of a twelve-year-old boy. It was the laugh of a man who knew how to cause harm and enjoyed it. The laugh spoke of pain and insanity. It spoke of a lack of morality and a joy for causing death and destruction. The boy laughed like a terrorist who had managed to catch the enemy in a trap.

“Do you really thing you can do anything to me?” the boy asked, his voice wrong. 

It wasn’t the voice Dawlish remembered from when he had seen the boy that summer with his father. There was something mixed in; an echo. With a flick of his wrist, Dawlish’s wand was in his hand. It would do no good.

“Avada Kedavra,” Vincent Crabbe hissed in malice. “Well, it seems you have moved up my plans.” He looked down at the red robed man dead at his feet. “I was planning on causing a bit more fear and then striking as they evacuated the school. I was going to kill more of the useless children, making the professors watch, and then I was going to kill Potter while watching the ridiculous twinkle leave the idiot headmaster’s eyes.” He scoffed, “Honestly, the man thinks Potter can defeat me. Me the greatest wizard to be born since Salazar Slytherin.” Crabbe/Voldemort flicked his wrist and the body floated into the air, “take peace in the fact that you died so that my cause could come to pass. You were foolish to stand in my way but I wonder if you would have done so had you known it was me.” With a shrug he turned toward the wall, “It is no matter. I will have to hide your body for now, I can’t have anyone finding you before I take care of Potter or they might force me to change my plans again.” 

…

…

…

Hogwarts wept.

…

…

…

Hogwarts screamed in anger.

…

…

…

All throughout the school, students, staff and Aurors heard an ominous bell sound. 


	24. The Queen

**Near Ravenclaw Tower**

“Helena,” Minerva McGonagall spoke quietly, “would you mind speaking with me for a moment?”

The Ravenclaw ghost looked over her shoulder at the Deputy Headmistress. “What is it you wish to speak to me about? Hogwarts no longer sees you as a part of the problem, so you should not worry about your job.”

The Transfiguration teacher shook her head, “I am not concerned for my job at this point; fire me or not, my concern is the students and the students alone. I am concerned about what could happen to them with the chamber opened and I think you might be able to help me figure out what I am missing.”

Helena Ravenclaw blinked, “I see. If it is knowledge I have, you are welcome to it. The students are, and always should be more important than anything else here.”

Nodding, Minerva continued, “You knew Salazar Slytherin, correct?”

“I did. He was my mother’s friend. In my youth, I considered him my uncle. To be honest, I still think of him in this way.”

“Do you know where his chamber is?”

The gray lady shook her head, “We all had theories but he never cared to share with anyone. As far as I am aware, he didn’t even share that knowledge with either of his children, despite their shared abilities.”

“Then do you know what his monster is?”

“He did not consider her a monster.”

Minerva blinked, “Her?”

The ghost nodded, “She was meant to be added protection against invading forces. The times were not kind to uncle Salazar. I think he lost more than all of us in the end even though I lost my life before I could have a family of my own. It made him paranoid and that paranoia drove a wedge between him and the others. He feared what the parents of muggleborn students would do to their children; feared that they might find the school and burn it to the ground like the church was calling for. He thought if all else failed, she could rise up and end the conflict before the students were injured or killed.”

“What is she?” Minerva all but begged when she stopped talking.

“You have to understand. She was obedient. They had been together longer than Salazar and Godric had been friends. He told us of the oath she swore to him, to defend the students of this school from all who would seek to destroy them and the sanctuary that Hogwarts was meant to be.” Here ghostly eyes were pleading. “She is no threat to anyone here unless she is ordered by a speaker and even then, she will not kill because it is against her oath. To go against that oath is to invite madness and death for her.”

“Speaker?”

“She will only follow the orders of someone who speaks Parseltongue.”

“So, his monster is some kind of snake?” Minerva was terrified that she knew what kind of snake but hoped she was mistaken. “Will you just tell me already?”

Helena sighed, “I was sworn to secrecy. Told to only reveal this knowledge when lives were at stake. I did not know that lives could be lost last time and no one asked so I could not speak. Because you ask and I fear that He may force the issue once more, I will tell you.” Though it was unneeded, she took a deep breath, “She is a Basilisk and she is outside her chamber, somewhere within these walls. The fact that she is out means that a speaker has found her chamber and commanded her to do his bidding. There is an enemy of Hogwarts within these walls and he controls Hogwarts’ greatest defender.”

“A Basilisk? Controlled by someone commanding her to attack students who oppose his unknown goals,” she breathed, her mind racing. “Merlin help us all.”

As she turned to go back into the school, Helena gasped.

A second later a bell she had never heard before rang loudly. Minerva McGonagall felt fear envelope her listening to the sound.

“A man is dead,” Helena all but wept.

The deputy head closed her eyes, “Let us hope this is not the end of Hogwarts.”

**Dungeons**

“Thank you for convincing professor Snape to allow us to meet despite the current restrictions.” Harry smiled at the older Slytherin, though it was not the smile he used to have before the twins were petrified. 

Imogen had spoken to her head of house about allowing Harry to continue his Parseltongue training. Harry had been reluctant at first to admit to a teacher that he had the gift but Daphne had managed to convince him that their potions professor would not treat him like a leper. Professor Snape had barely raised an eyebrow when Harry told him. The professor had admitted that it would be best for Harry to learn to differentiate Parseltongue and English as soon as possible for his own protection. His only stipulations were that the practice happen in a room not commonly used by most students and that it be near his office in case of incident. 

The obvious solution to these rules was to use one of the private labs. There were three labs outside the regular classrooms. It was Imogen who suggested they meet in what she dubbed her lab. Imogen was a brilliant potions student who wanted to become a master of the subject and focus her knowledge and skill into inventing potions, particularly those to heal. It was because of this dream that she had all but claimed one of the labs for her own uses; there were only two other students that used the room and both only used it when they were assisting with Imogen’s current projects. 

So as not to arouse suspicion, they decided to meet directly after the second year Slytherin/Ravenclaw double potions. Imogen had personal study at that time, which she typically spent in her lab, so she would meet Daphne and Harry in the lab after being escorted there by an Auror. Professor Snape would then pick up the three students fifteen minutes before dinner so that he could escort them to the great hall, after making a pit stop to drop of Shiva of course.

Harry had learned quickly that Shiva was proud and obstinate. The king cobra was and always had been very determined to get her point across, even when she wasn’t being understood. Which, is actually how the snake got her name. Imogen had been looking into names of people and deities of Southeast Asia to name the cobra, as that is where they are originally from. While looking through a book on deities, the young snake had slithered onto the page about Shiva and stayed there, not allowing Imogen to turn the page. It did not matter to the serpent that Shiva was a male god and she was clearly female, all that mattered was that she liked the name. Imogen had been unable to get the serpent to respond to any other name so had reluctantly allowed that to be her name, even if some might find it offensive. The only other option was to offend a poisonous snake that might decide to bite because she did not like her name. In their first session, Harry discovered that she had seen many statues of the god before being brought to England and thought that because of her divine bloodline, it was only fitting that she had a name so revered by two legged beings. 

“Shiva and I look forward to this time almost as much as you do,” she looked at her king cobra, “or at least I think she enjoys this time.”

_“This is perhaps my favorite time of the week. Brother Harry knows how to treat a serpent of my standing and he actually understands the most noble of languages.”_

Harry chuckled at the snake’s response. “She definitely likes being here.”

“I take it that wasn’t all she said?” They had met only three times so far, due to the ever-changing security precautions, and it had been clear very quickly that Shiva thought herself above all humans. The cobra thought herself a queen, liked only a handful of people and barely tolerated the rest. Before Harry she had honestly only liked her human, Imogen, and Daphne because Imogen was fond of the younger Slytherin. Harry was now her brother because he could actually speak to her. When she didn’t call him brother, she called him hatchling because he was so very young.

“As she has said before, Shiva doesn’t really like people. This time allows her to have an actual conversation with a living person.” Harry shrugged. The snake had admitted that she was tired of only being able to speak to one other live snake and the portrait of one in the Slytherin common room. 

“As amusing as this is,” Daphne interrupted before they could continue their pointless conversation, “shouldn’t we get started?”

“You are correct,” Harry grinned. “I would love to hear more about cobra culture, if you don’t mind Shiva. You could tell me about your traditions and then I could translate.”

“And what can I do to punish you when you fail to switch to the proper language?” Daphne grinned evilly. After the first lesson, the blond Slytherin had decided that Harry needed incentive to not screw up so she had hit him with tickling hexes last time. During the week leading up to this meeting she had been debating between a stinging hex and hitting him with color blobs. 

“I vote for color balls,” Imogen said as the voice of reason. “The color comes off easily and is actually less strenuous on you.”

“And it doesn’t hurt me at all,” Harry grumbled.

 _“There are many types of cobra in the world. None are as noble as the king cobra.”_ Shiva began before the others could continue. She was not happy when attention was not on her. _“The deadliest of my brethren is what humans call the Caspian cobra. Though we are from the same jungles the Caspian still bows to the king because the king is the direct descendent of the original cobra. It is my line that carries the blood of old.”_

Harry opened his mouth to translate but closed his mouth when they heard the sound of an ominous bell toll around them. “What is that?”

Imogen shook her head, her eyes wide. “What ever it is, we should stay here and wait for Professor Snape or one of the Aurors to come get us.”

Daphne nodded, “I feel like I should know what that is but I can’t seem to focus around this feeling of fear I suddenly have.”

Harry placed an arm around her shoulder and would have answered but the door flew open so hard that it bounced of the wall with a resounding thud. The three humans turned as one to find someone unexpected in the doorway, acting unlike his normal self.

“Expelliarmus,” Vincent Crabbe hissed, aiming at the biggest target in the room. Imogen had drawn her wand when the door flew open but unfortunately it was no use to her now as it was flying into the second year’s hand. 

Imogen’s eyes widened and her lips fell into a thin line. “What are you doing, Crabbe?” All could hear the tightly bound rage in her voice. “This is my lab. You need permission from our head of house, a seventh-year prefect or myself to enter this room, and in case you were unaware, you are not welcome here.”

Vincent Crabbe laughed, his tone dripping with scorn. “And what makes you think you can bar me from entering where I please. I am greater than any living and you are simply a small insignificant girl with delusions of grandeur; as for the others, I am above any student in this school and why would I need permission from a half-blood potions maker when I am pure?” He allowed his gaze to slide to Harry and Daphne, his eyes glinting red.

Harry slid slightly in front of Daphne, blocking her as much as he could. “Did you see his eyes just now?” He asked her as quietly as he could. “They looked red and his voice is wrong. It’s almost like there are two people talking at the same time.”

The blonde nodded, her hand gripping Harry’s robe tightly. “Like when the twins talk at the same time but so much creepier.”

“Silence, Potter or I will kill the little blonde bitch who thinks she is better than the rest of us.”

 _“Beware, brother speaker,”_ Shiva slithered up Harry’s arm so that her head rested on his shoulder. _“He smells wrong. There is very dark magic surrounding him.”_

Crabbe’s red eyes went to the cobra and then back to Harry. “Little Potter is a speaker?” He sounded flabbergasted. “Impossible. His family is nowhere near pure enough to be entrusted with Salazar’s prized gift. I am the last and only Heir.” With each word his composure slipped that much more. “He must have stolen it. It is the only option. I will just have to kill him, though I already planned to do so. His death will be that much more painful because of this injustice. I wonder if it would be more painful to be bitten, crushed or swallowed by my stupid pet that can’t seem to follow orders.” As he spoke his eyes looked from side to side as if he was speaking to various people around the room and not himself. 

Without any sigh or change in his audience, Vincent Crabbe froze. His eyes were focused on the wall behind Harry’s head, though he appeared to be listening for something. “Come,” he gestured to the three, “it is time to go.”

“And why should we listen to you?” Imogen asked, sounding bored.

The red in his eyes flashed, the color intensifying as he pointed his wand at the large desk across the room. A flash of light left the tip and a moment later the desk exploded into hundreds of pieces. “Because there is nothing stopping me from doing the same to your fragile bodies. If you come with me, one or both of you lovely ladies might not die.” He stepped aside so that the doorway was clear. “Make sure to bring the cobra. I do so love bending a snake to my will.”

Shiva hissed in displeasure but did not say anything. 

Imogen opened her mouth to argue but stopped when Harry shook his head. Antagonizing the irrational and dangerous student would do them no good at this point. He also turned his wrist, pulling up his sleeve slightly to show that he still had his wand.

“Do I need to do something to entice you to move?” he asked with a sickeningly suggestive tone that promised pain. 

Harry tilted his head to the elder girl, indicating she should go first and pushed Daphne to follow behind her. He wanted to be ready to defend the two if the angry student made a move in their direction.

“If you are a good boy, Harry, I might just let them serve me personally. They can be my own to use when I take over and let my most trusted pick from the rest of the student body.” Harry only glared in response. “Well, that wasn’t the response I expected. Vincent things you are brash and like to show off. Perhaps he was mistaken. Not that it matters, you will be dead soon enough and then there will be no one who can stop me.” He turned on his heel, pressed his wand to Daphne’s back and pushed her forward. “Follow or I paint the dungeon walls with her blood.”

Harry and Imogen shared a brief look as the deranged young man forced the younger girl down the hall. There was no other choice but to follow. Harry Potter did not want to lose his friend. 

_“I smell someone watching, brother.”_

Harry looked over his shoulder to find Draco, standing frozen in the hall just outside the potions classroom. ‘GET HELP,’ he mouthed before quickly following the crazed student deeper into the dungeons, hoping that no one would die that day.

…

Severus Snape was ready for the day to be over. It was Friday and the stress of the week on top of chamber security was driving him to distraction. Like every other Friday, he still had a handful of students left in his classroom despite the fact that class had ended more than thirty minutes ago. Some stayed behind to clarify, Hermione Granger was always guilty of this, while others stayed behind because he required it. Students who struggled were forced to stay behind so he could review previous assignments and explain where they went wrong. He hoped sacrificing his time now would save him headaches later. 

When the bell of war rang, he froze. He could see the fear creeping into the faces of all the students still in the room but knew that perhaps only one of them truly knew what was going on. 

“I believe that is all we needed to review, Mr. Goyle, Ms. Bulstrode.” He tried to sound calm so as not to incite panic, “I want the two of you to head directly to the common room.” He knew that Auror Dawlish was out in the hall, having already escorted Potter and Greengrass to Aldridge’s lab, and would be able to watch the students make their way to the common room. Luckily that bell would lock common rooms so that students could not exit, only enter. The doors would not open for anyone involved in whatever caused the bell to ring. “If you are not there in an hour when I come to check on your house you will be in detention with me, scrubbing cauldrons for the remainder of the school year. Oh, and if you see Mr. Crabbe before I do, inform him he has detention with me for a week skipping this review session again.”

“Professor,” Draco sprinted into the room, his face deathly white and out of breath. He had only been gone a few minutes. “Crabbe,” he gasped. “Daphne, Harry and Aldridge at wand point.”

“Slow down, Draco.” Severus spoke with a calm he wasn’t sure he actually felt. He had been searching for who might be infected with the darkness for weeks but there were a handful of students that just never stopped feeling tainted by dark magic and Crabbe was one of them. “From the beginning and with detail. Where was Auror Dawlish?”

“I was leaving class and Dawlish wasn’t there. I looked up and down the hall but all I saw Crabbe standing there pointing a wand at Daphne while glaring at Harry and Aldridge. He told them to follow or he would ‘paint the walls with her blood.’ Harry looked over his shoulder before following, saw me and I think he was telling me to get help.”

Severus flicked his wand, causing a silver doe to appear, “Crabbe is the one. He has Harry. Come to the dungeons immediately.” Once he finished speaking, the doe sped out of the room. “Draco, Granger, come with me. The rest of you, stay here and do not leave. Open the door only for Draco, Granger, Professors Lupin or Professor Flitwick.” 

He pushed the startled pair out of the room, “Which way, Draco?”

The blond pointed toward the unused part of the dungeons. There were few who knew that area of the castle these days. “Follow, quickly.” He swept his wand over them, muffling their steps. “Hopefully we can catch them before the disappear into the labyrinth of hallways down here.”

“What do you need me to do, Professor?” Hermione asked him, her voice shaking. 

“You are both coming with me so that I can send one of you back to collect Lupin and point him to wherever Crabbe is leading us. The other will wait at the entrance and update him when he gets here. Once Lupin is brought up to speed, the two of you will head to the classroom and stay there unless directed differently by one of the senior staff.”

The trio ran down the hallway, following the noises in front of them as best they could. With each turn they hoped they would find their targets but it seemed they had lost them entirely. It was luck, more than anything, that had them turning the final corner to what would normally be a dead end only to see Harry and Crabbe standing in a slim door way.

“Vincent Crabbe,” Severus boomed, “Stop this instant,” he pointed his wand at the student only for the normally simple boy smirked in a way reminiscent of the most recent Dark Lord. He hissed and the wall closed behind him.

Draco ran at the wall and tried to pound his way through while the potions master preformed every unlocking spell he knew to attempt to get through the wall.

Hermione Granger stood, wide eyed and unmoving looking at the wall. “We won’t be able to get through.” Her voice was barely above a whisper but the two still heard her. “He spoke Parseltongue.”

“And how would you know that, Miss Granger,” Severus said with more bite in his tone then he meant to use due to his frustration. 

“Harry is a Parselmouth. He has been studying it and his book says that spells in Parseltongue are, more often than not, immune to counters in any other language. Even if it wasn’t a spell, if that was the password, only someone who speaks Parseltongue or has practiced could say the correct combination of hisses to open the door.”

“Harry is a Parselmouth?” Draco said in wonder.

“I knew he was a Parselmouth, but I did not know that Parselmagic was that different,” Severus nearly swore. “We should head back to the classroom. Lupin and Filius should be there now; perhaps one of them has some other idea.”

“No need to come looking for us,” Remus Lupin came around the corner a moment later, Filius directly behind him. “Filius and I were on our way to your classroom when your Patronus found us. After a little talk with a ghost, I collected Filius so I could share my findings with both of you at once. I know what the monster is.” He ran a hand over his face, “The Baron was surprisingly informative. He knew Salazar and said that Salazar always talked about his beloved queen of serpents. There is only one creature I know of that is referred to as the king of serpents and that is the basilisk.”

Hermione let out a chocked sob, “I really didn’t want to be right.”

“At a later date, you will have to explain to me how a second-year student guessed in a matter of weeks what historians have been contemplating for centuries. For now, there are other things we need to do.”

“Agreed Severus,” Filius walked forward, his wand clutched in his hand. “I know you have been unsuccessful in opening the passage but perhaps there is a goblin solution. My ancestors are masters with stone and most wizards discount goblin magic as inferior; perhaps Salazar did not protect his secrets from my people the way he should have.” The little half goblin started muttering in the goblin tongue. After a moment he tucked his wand back in its holster and moved so he was standing directly I front of where the passage should be placing his hands flush to the stone. “Remus, I think perhaps now is the time to take Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger back to the potions classroom. Once you finish with that, I think we should find Minerva.”

“Shall I have her put the school on complete lockdown?”

“I think that best. All students to their common rooms, save those two. Septima can handle my Ravens.”

“Aurora is trusted by my snakes,” Severus added. “I am sure either Charity or Bathsheda would be willing to watch the lions while we are occupied.”

“Perhaps you should have Minerva keep Albus busy so that he does not stick his crooked nose into this.”

The Bloody Baron glided through the wall to Remus’s left. “That will not be necessary Filius Flitwick. The castle has been listening and has lock the headmaster in his former office.”

“Former office?” Severus quirked a brow.

Helena appeared at the Baron’s side. “His delayed reactions to the students effected by this crisis were the last straw. Hogwarts has slowly been removing his access to the castle and only this morning had made it so the only place he had access to was his office.”

“The portraits kept him busy while the castle placed him on lock down.” The Baron grinned wickedly, “when this situation is dealt with, the castle requests that the true Heir and Heads of House removed the old goat.”

“Nothing would please us more than to remove him, but might I ask who the heir is?” Filius asked while looking over his shoulder at the two ghosts. 

“That is something we are not aware of.” Helena looked to her ghostly companion. “We will know when the time is right, but I can all but guarantee that the heir is in the castle now if Hogwarts is asking for them.”

“You also do not need to send the wolf to get the head of Gryffindor. She has been found by Nicholas.”

“Hogwarts has been listening and has relayed your suggestions to the appropriate professors through the castle ghosts. Deputy Head McGonagall has also requested that the head of Hufflepuff contact the Aurors; while she takes care of that, Charity Burbage will watch the badgers.”

“Sir Nicholas should be here shortly with Minerva McGonagall,” the Baron finished. “When she is here, we can send these two students back to their previous classroom with the Gryffindor ghost.”

“Very well,” Filius turned his attention back to the stones before him. “I suggest you all step back. Goblins are masters of stone but foreign magic can do odd things when provoked. I will bring this wall down and protect my students or die trying.” 

…

“Keep walking,” possessed Crabbe barked. The quartet had been walking up a slight incline for about five minutes. “We are almost to the doorway.”

“Who are you anyway?” Daphne wondered. “There is no way you are actually Vince.”

“Is it so hard to guess, little girl,” he chuckled darkly.

Harry looked over his shoulder at the other boy. Crabbe was slightly shorter than Harry but was quite a bit larger in most every other way. “If I had to guess I would say you were Voldemort, but I could be wrong. And I would also like to know how you managed to possess him.”

“I see Potter is both brave and not entirely stupid.” His eyes flashed red as he spoke. “I am indeed Lord Voldemort. I left pieces of myself in certain objects. Vincent was gifted my school diary over the summer. Your professors thought they were so clever searching the belongings of all students for dark objects.” He laughed loudly. “Fearing they might do something like this, I took control and hid the diary in that stupid Parkinson girl’s trunk. They destroyed my diary but there was enough of me left in him to entice him to look for another one of my objects. I hid the diadem when I interviewed for the position of defense professor years ago. All it took was a few pointed suggestions to look for it and then I could return as a better version of myself. This version knows more than my teenaged self.” He looked at the young scarred boy, “I will admit, Potter, I am more than a little surprised that you had the stones to say my name out loud; very few wizards live to see another day after doing just that.”

“I’ve said your name before and I will say it again. I find it hard to respect someone so afraid to die they name themselves for it.”

“I fear nothing and I can never truly die!”

Imogen sighed, “Your name literally means flight from death and you travel the earth as a shade, which means you preformed some exceptionally dark magic to tie your soul to this plane of existence. If that is not fear of death, then I don’t know what is.”

“I see all three of you wish for death,” he seethed, ignoring their words. “And I didn’t tell you to stop walking.”

Daphne, who had been in the lead, had stopped due to the solid wall in front of her. “Do you expect me to walk though stone now? You do know I am not a ghost, right?”

“Place your hand on the stone and it will open.”

The blond shrugged and did as instructed. Once her hand toughed the wall the stones warmed before disappearing as if they melted into thin air. 

“Isn’t this Myrtle’s toilet?” Daphne wondered.

Imogen looked around, a look of disgust on her face, “It is indeed. I know of no other that is always flooded.” She looked down at her feet and sure enough, the bottom of their robes were sitting in water. “How is it we went up three floors and to the other side of the castle, when we did not change direction and did not climb nearly high enough on that incline?”

“I fear the obvious answer is magic,” Harry couldn’t help but say. “What I want to know is why we are here. Doesn’t seem very dignified.”

“We are here,” Voldemort pushed past them, sounding almost gleeful, “because the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is here.” He walked until he was standing in front of the middle sink. _“Open.”_

The sink and floor around in instantly started shifting. Opening and leaving a tunnel that led down to depths unknown. 

“Potters first,” he pointed his wand at the dark-haired boy before indicating the hole.

“No stairs?”

“Just go Potter, before I kill your little girlfriend.”

Harry put his hands up in submission before sliding feet first into the darkness below. 

Falling into a pit of bones would be disturbing under any circumstance, but it seemed that much worse when there was someone aiming to kill him following behind him. Harry did not dare make a move until he knew that Imogen and Daphne were safely on the ground with him, and he honestly didn’t have a great plan yet.

Daphne shot out of the pipe next, rolling into the bones with a startled cry. Harry was at her side a moment later, helping her to her feet. “Are you alright, Daphne?”

She nodded as she straightened, using his shoulder for support. Her eyes traveled around the cavern looking for any way out other than where their captor wanted them to go. Unfortunately, the only thing her eyes could focus on was what lay on the bones near the wall. “Harry,” her voice shook with fear. “Please tell me that is not a shed snake skin.”

Harry looked where she indicated and gulped. “I really wish I could, but that is exactly what you think it is.”

“That skin has to be fifty feet long! Doesn’t that mean the snake that shed it is even bigger?”

He could only nod. 

_“Queen,”_ Shiva hissed, poking her head out of Harry’s robes.

_“What?”_

_“The queen is near!”_

“What did she say?”

“She said that the queen is near.”

Daphne let out a chocked sob and buried her face in her hands. “Oh, gods. Hermione was right.”

“You don’t know how much I wish she had been wrong for once,” Harry warped his arms around her just as Imogen slid into the tunnel. Somehow the older Slytherin made the tumble look graceful.

Imogen looked at the two second years with worry. “What is it? Did something else happen?”

Harry looked Imogen in the eye, his terror clear to see. “We know what Slytherin’s monster is. It’s a basilisk.”

Imogen froze, her eyes fixed on the snake skin that had given the final clue. She opened her mouth to comment but their enemy rolled into the cavern his wand aimed once more on his three captives. “Did you enjoy your little slid? Guess not,” he sighed looking at Daphne trembling in Harry’s arms. “I suppose there is no accounting for taste.” He flicked the wand in his hand, pointing toward the opposite end of the chamber. “Let’s get moving, we are almost at our destination and I can’t wait to introduce you to my pet.”

Imogen glared at Voldemort before walking to the younger pair and wrapping her arm around Daphne’s shoulder. While he had held Daphne, Harry had pulled her wand from her wrist holster and pushed it up his own sleeve. Somehow, Voldemort had missed this but Imogen had not. 

The elder girl placed her hand on Harry’s arm, near his wrist. She could feel the wand within. Meeting his eyes, she subtly tilted her head toward it and squeezed his arm. “I’ll take her,” she spoke clearly so the evil possessor would not think they were plotting.

Harry released his hold on Daphne at the same time he pushed the wand tip out of his sleeve. Imogen did not waste a second in pushing the wand into her own sleeve while pulling Daphne closer. Looking over her shoulder, she could see an amused look on Crabbe’s face but no outrage. Their sleight of hand had worked. Now they just needed a proper opening. 

He led them to an ornate, circular door and once again opened it with a word in Parseltongue. Beyond the door was a long chamber lined with snake statues on either side of the main walkway. At the very end lay a pool with a large carved head on the other side, centered in the wall. As the quartet walked into the room, torches burst into flame, lighting their way.

“Welcome to Salazar Slytherin’s Chamber of Secrets,” Voldemort spread his arms wide. “For at least one of you, this will be the spot of your final breath. This will be the place where I get revenge on you, Harry Potter. It is because of you that I do not reign supreme.” He turned to face Harry fully, “you should be honored that I decided to share this with you before I allow my pet to kill you.”

“What make you think that she will kill me? I am a speaker, just like you. No snake would ever willingly harm a speaker because of how rare we are.”

“There is only one that she will listen to and that is the Heir of Slytherin. Unfortunately for you, the heir is me. I am the last descendent of Salazar Slytherin and I will complete his dream. I will save the magical world from all of those filthy mudbloods. Any halfblood or pureblood who stands in my way will die for their insolence. One day soon, I will rule over all and the world will know the greatness of Lord Voldemort, Heir to the greatest founder of Hogwarts.”

“Stupi…”

Voldemort whirled and flicked his wand deflecting the spell Imogen was casting behind him. With another flick he sent her flying toward the end of the room and into the pool that lay before a giant stone face. In the next second, he flicked his wand at Daphne and sent her flying into the closest wall. She hit hard, the breath rushing from her lungs and collapsed to the floor. 

Harry dove to the side and rolled when Voldemort turned to him, narrowly avoiding the spell meant for him. 

“Now that they are out of the way, I think I will call my dearest to come and play.” He turned to the end of the room. _“Come to me, familiar of Hogwarts’ greatest champion. Enemies are at her gates.”_ He turned back to Harry, “Now, I think I shall have a little fun while we wait for her. Do you think you can survive long enough to meet the pet of Salazar Slytherin?” With a laugh he cast curse after curse.

Normally, Harry would outclass Vincent Crabbe when it came to magical strength, casting ability, speed and spell knowledge. Harry was a Ravenclaw who studied ahead. He was best friends with an Italian Slytherin who liked to practice offensive spell casting. He exercised regularly. The twins liked to teach him creative ways to use every day spells. Normally, there would be no question at Harry winning this fight.

Voldemort possessing Crabbe made all the difference. It was not Vince who was in control of his body, it was Voldemort. Voldemort was older than Harry, though he had no idea exactly how old he was. He had more knowledge of spells Harry had not even dreamed of and was not afraid to cast to kill. Harry was at a serious disadvantage in this fight.

He dodged a violently red curse, unsure what it would have done but entirely sure he would not have liked the effects. If he survived this, and managed to save Vince, he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to look at the other boy again without shuddering.

“You can’t dodge me forever, Potter,” he cackled.

The lone Ravenclaw looked to the pool behind his opponent hoping to see Imogen had survived her flight across the room and into the water. He had to control his face so that he didn’t show relief at seeing her slowing crawling out of the water and onto the stone walkway. There was no question in his mind that the only way he could survive this was with her help.

Coming to a stop, Harry pointed his wand at his opponent and screamed, “Expelliarmus.” He knew that Voldemort would be able to deflect or dodge the curse. That wasn’t why he cast it. No, the reason he cast that spell, with the amount of volume he did, was in hopes that he could distract the psychotic man from the actions of the young woman Vince could not see.

“You are powerful,” he smirked. “I will give you that.”

While Harry had been casing his curse, Imogen had been casting one of her own. She had also cast a disarming curse and it hit the possessed boy at that moment. The wand flew out of Vincent Crabbe’s hand and went spinning through the air. 

Voldemort whirled while drawing Imogen’s own wand from his robes, but it was too late. Imogen had cast a second curse while he was distracted. The stunning spell hit him square in the chest and sent him to the floor before he could open his mouth to cast a potentially deadly curse at the Slytherin.

“Grab his wand,” Imogen pointed to the wand that had gone flying while she made her way over to his prone form. She picked up her own wand and cast another stunner. “Search him while I check on Daphne. Make sure to check his wrists, ankles, waist and all of his pockets. I don’t want him to wake while we are occupied and have another wand on his person.”

“He summoned the basilisk.”

Imogen paused as she knelt next to Daphne, “then we better hope she is in the mood to listen. It is a good thing he is unconscious because one Parselmouth is more than enough in this situation; especially because that one wants you dead and wouldn’t hesitate to kill Daphne and I.” She focused on the small blonde who moaned while blinking. “Are you alright Daphne?”

“I’m alive and awake but I think I would rather be unconscious as it hurts to breath.”

She waved her wand, closing a cut on the younger girl’s head that was bleeding terribly. “Sounds like broken or cracked ribs. There isn’t much I can do for that without my potions but I can make sure you don’t have any open wounds.”

“Does it even matter?” She wondered. “A basilisk is going to come out of that statue’s mouth in a moment and then we will all be dead.”

“Then don’t look at it and hope that Harry and Shiva can talk her out of eating us.”

Daphne nodded, wincing with the pain that action caused. “Harry, if I get eaten by a giant snake, I will haunt you until the end of time.”

Harry looked at her, “If you get eaten, I am fairly sure she is going to eat me too but I would be happy to haunt Hogwarts with you.”

Imogen blinked and looked into Daphne’s eyes, “Is he always like this?”

“Harry is great at making jokes at the worst possible time.”

“I see movement,” Harry called when the snakes enormous snout started to poke out of the statue’s mouth. He dropping his gaze to the floor at his feet and shuddered.

“Close your eyes, NOW,” Imogen ordered while slamming her eyes closed.

He didn’t know what to do. Harry’s mind was racing, throwing out useless pieces of information that would not aid him in this situation. He wished he could recall the full chapter on meeting potentially hostile snake but the only thing he was sure that it did say was to maintain eye contact. Snakes apparently had the ability to read intent in a human’s eyes. While they couldn’t see exactly what you wanted, they could see if you were a danger, afraid, interested or friendly. The only problem with that was that looking into a basilisk’s eyes directly would be suicide, literally. 

While he searched his mind for useful information, he felt Shiva leave the safety of his robe. He turned his head to the side slightly to find her reared up, hood flared. _“My queen,”_ the king cobra bowed her head slightly. _“We mean you no harm. My human and her companions were brought to your nest against our will.”_ Shiva bumped her nose against Harry’s arm. _“Address the great serpent,”_ the cobra somehow managed to whisper.

Harry took a deep, shuddering breath before bowing at the waist. _“I am honored to be in the presence of one such as yourself, queen of serpents. I apologize for hiding my eyes but it is said all who look into your glorious eyes will fall into the endless sleep of death. I realize that there are some who simply freeze like stone but this too would prevent me from properly addressing you.”_

Though he did not see it, the enormous snake lowered her head so that it was level with Harry’s upper body, _“While it is true that my eyes do bring death, it happens only when I wish it.”_ Her voice was commanding and calm in a way that spoke of time. He could feel her age in the way her words reverberated around the room, enveloping him in her power. _“The first lesson learned for my species is to control our killing gaze; once learned we can look at anyone without causing harm or can chose to pause their existence and make them like stone instead of bringing forth eternal sleep. I have controlled my eyes for centuries. Raise your head speaker so that we might converse properly.”_

Harry swallowed the saliva pooling in his throat and clenched his eyes closed for one more second. He wished he could will himself to not be afraid. Lifting his body, he started directly into the largest eye he had ever seen. The giant yellow orb had to be more than twice the size of his head. _“I am honored to meet you, great lady. I am Harry Potter. May I ask your name?”_

 _“I am called Hebe,”_ she hissed. _“Salazar named me for the witch goddess of eternal youth. I found it fitting for she was a Greek goddess and that is where my brethren hail from.”_ Her forked tongue flicked out, testing the air. _“I am overjoyed to meet you at last, Harry Potter.”_

He opened his mouth to reply but closed it a moment later when the wording of her last statement reached his overwhelmed brain. Blinking, he shook his head, _“I don’t understand. It sounded like you had been waiting for me.”_

_“Because I have been waiting for you. Centuries ago, my human said that his true heir would come to protect the school and I was to aid them.”_

_“Your human? You mean Salazar Slytherin? As far as I know, I am not related to him in any way.”_

“Harry,” Daphne called as loudly as she dared. “Is everything alright?”

Harry looked over at the two girls, both still had their eyes firmly shut. “Yes, everything is fine. More than fine actually. Sorry for not clarifying. You can open your eyes now. Hebe doesn’t kill with her eyes unless she wants to and I don’t think she has any intention of harming me or my friends.” He turned his eyes back to the great serpent. _“I would like you to meet my friends.”_ Harry made his way over to the pair, Daphne still leaning against the wall near one of the snake statues, Shiva at his side. _“This is my friend Daphne, Shiva and her human Imogen.”_

_“Well met, Shiva, royalty among the hooded. Your human is wise to befriend a speaker.”_

_“Thank you, my queen. It is the smaller human who brought the speaker to us. For this I will always be grateful.”_

Harry smiled at the smaller snake’s comment. _“Daphne did indeed introduce us. She is an educated, accepting human.”_

“Imogen, Daphne, I would like to introduce you to Hebe, the familiar of Salazar Slytherin.”

It was Daphne who found her tongue first. “Well met, lady Hebe. It is an honor to meet someone who has seen so many centuries. If I could speak the true language, I would wish to spend all of my time asking you about the history of Hogwarts and your friendship with one of her founders.”

Imogen spoke directly after Daphne, “I too am honored to meet you and am more than pleased that my dear Shiva has had this opportunity to meet her queen. Unfortunately, I feel I must address the dark stain on this meeting. What can we do to free Crabbe from Voldemort’s control?”

The great serpent, having understood every word, turned her attention to the unconscious young man across the chamber. _“There will be an object on him that holds the spirit of Tom Riddle, or Voldemort as he prefers to be called.”_

 _“Do you know what that object is?”_ Harry wondered. He could address the rest later. 

_“The first time he came here he wore Rowena’s diadem on his head. I could see the darkness emanating from it.”_

_“Will we be alright to touch it?”_ Harry crouched, shaking his head having forgotten Voldemort mentioning the diadem. He knelt next to Crabbe and started lifting his robes. He already knew it wasn’t in the pockets as he had searched there previously to ensure he was no longer armed. Seeing something shiny near his neck, Harry lifted the collar of his shirt. Around the boy’s thick neck was the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, he would recognize it anywhere after seeing it on top of the statue in his dorm every day.

_“I believe so. The darkness is already tied to that boy there. It would take too much energy for the fragment within to switch vessels now. He has spent too much time overcoming this subject.”_

_“If we take the diadem away, will Crabbe be alright?”_

_“The boy will be within the thrall of the darkness as long as the diadem still contains the fragment.”_

Harry bit his lip and wrapped his fingers around the tiara. Touching the metal made his skin crawl. He felt dirty, like ants were crawling over his skin. He pulled it from around Crabbe’s neck and quickly backed away from the unconscious boy. _“How do we destroy it?”_

 _“I believe I can take care of that,”_ Hebe sounded pleased with herself. _“Place it on the floor in front of me and step back.”_ Once that was done, she lowered her head and allowed some of her venom to drop down onto the tainted piece of jewelry. The instant the devastating poison touched the metal, black smoke billowed from the point of contact as an enraged scream echoed around the room.

“What was that?” Imogen jumped to her feet, wand at the ready and watched the black smoke dissipate as it rose to the ceiling. 

_“That was the last anchor holding the soul of Voldemort to this plane of existence.”_

Harry blinked, _“The last? Do you mean he is gone?”_

_“Nearly, but not quite yet.”_

“What did she say Harry?” Daphne asked.

Harry looked back at the two scared girls. “She said it was the last thing keeping Voldemort from dying.” Seeing the hope in their faces he shook his head. “He isn’t gone just yet but she hasn’t said how she knows or why he isn’t dead with the destruction of the last anchor.” 

_“Before we continue, I believe you should take care of the other human. I can taste him stirring. Return him to the school and them come back. We will discuss all the questions you have for me then. There is much for you and I to discuss.”_

_“What if I can’t get away for some time? There is going to be a lot of questions about what happened and many will want to know what you are and if you are still alive. What do I tell them?”_

_“You are the heir, though you might not know it yet. In you is the heart and magic to protect this school and its occupants successfully. I trust your judgement because I can sense you do not give your faith in people lightly.”_

“Harry,” Imogen called. “Daphne needs madam Pomfrey and Crabbe looks more than a little dazed himself. We need to get them out of here.”

Harry looked first at Daphne, who was now standing but leaning heavily on Imogen, and then at Crabbe. The other boy looked pale and confused. Daphne’s pain was more than apparent. “You’re right. We do need to get them to the hospital wing and let the professors know that the crisis is over.” He turned his gaze back to Hebe, _“Is the tunnel to the toilet the only way in and out of here?”_

 _“It is the only I am willing to share with the others present here. All you need to do to get up the slope is to ask for stairs. I never felt the need to tell Tom that as he thought himself too smart to need help from a dumb beast.”_ If a snake could smirk, Hebe would be doing so. _“Go, Harry Potter. I will be waiting.”_

**Dungeons**

Remus jumped when his colleague, and former professor, swore viciously. Filius was having no luck breaking into the passageway behind the wall in front of them. Minerva had joined them and she had resorted to pacing and muttering imaginative ways to punish Albus for his inaction. The only one that appeared calm was Severus. Of course, if you looked at his hands, which were clenched tightly behind his back, you would not think him calm in the least.

The werewolf had summoned the Marauder’s map, hoping in vain that it would suddenly show him the way to Harry. 

“That is a clever piece of magic,” the Ravenclaw ghost admired the map while leaning over Remus’s shoulder. “I had no idea that was what you and your friends were doing when you used to wander around the castle at all hours under that wonderful cloak.”

Remus looked back at here, trying to decide if he was shocked or embarrassed. “Thank you,” he decided to take the compliment and hope that everyone was too engrossed in their own coping mechanisms to have heard the comment about his rule breaking activities as school.

“What cloaks was this?” Severus wondered. He was not surprised by their late-night jaunts.

“And by all hours does she mean when the four of you should have been in bed?” his former head of house asked with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

“James had an invisibility cloak that his father gave him. It has been in the Potter family for longer than the Potter name.” He turned to Minerva, “I can’t defend my teenaged self to be honest. I tried to temper their activities but talking James and Sirius out of something was nearly impossible; I was so afraid of being abandoned that I often just went along with things.” He looked down at the map, “At least when we were searching the castle to map it, we weren’t pranking anyone.”

Severus, having quietly walked down the hall to stand over his ally, pulled the old parchment from Remus’s hands. His eyes widened almost unperceptively at the information revealed by the tattered map. “This is the entire school, and all of its inhabitants.”

Remus shook his head, “Not all of it, I didn’t know that corridor existed before today and we never found the chamber. I also never could figure out how to get the ghosts to show up on the map; they were the only reason we got caught before Peter lost the map.”

“If Pettigrew lost it, how is it you have this?” Severus wondered.

It was Minerva who answered, “The twins found it didn’t they?”

Remus looked at the older woman with a slightly guilty look. “That they did. They wrote to me before the end of the last school year asking if the map was safe to give to Harry. It was rather cleaver of them. They didn’t have my name and didn’t give me Harry’s.”

“I suppose there is some childish enchantments on this too?” Severus guessed.

Remus chuckled, “You could say that.” He took the map back and looked down at it fondly. “Once Harry is safe, I might just let you have a conversation with the fifteen-year-old Marauders, though I warn you, none of them are particularly mature and two in particular are bound to spend a great deal of time mocking your nose and hair.” The werewolf allowed his gaze to travel around the map and froze when first one name and then three more appeared on the second floor as if they had Apparated to that spot. “Harry is on the second floor, in the girl’s toilet that Moaning Myrtle haunts.”

“Could it be mistaken?”

“The map never lies. You can’t even hide behind Polyjuice because the map would show the real name, not the name the person is impersonating.” Remus turned and started running down the hall, Severus and Filius hot on his heels while Minerva chose to walk quickly instead of running. “I will explain why I know that later,” Remus called over his shoulder.

**Second Floor**

“Do you think we should take the passage back down to the dungeons?” Daphne wondered.

Imogen shook her head. “The hospital wing is closer to where we are now. I will take you three there and then go search for the professors if Madam Pomfrey is unable to contact them.”

“I wish I had my map,” Harry muttered. 

“That would be useful,” the blond second year agreed. Harry had taken over supporting her while Imogen kept her wand at the ready in case Crabbe had sudden homicidal intentions or had a complete breakdown. 

“What map?” the sixth-year wondered. “Keep up Crabbe or I will stun you and levitate you to the hospital wing.”

Harry shrugged, “My father and his friends invented a map of Hogwarts. If I had it, I could tell you where everyone is,” he paused, “well, everyone that is not in the chamber that is.”

“HARRY!”

The quartet looked down the hall as one to seen three of their professors all but running toward them, Remus in the lead. The defense professor went straight for Harry and only just stopped himself from pulling the boy into his arms. Instead, he placed his hands on Harry’s shoulders and looked into his eyes as if to prove to himself that his cub was actually in front of him, seemingly unharmed. 

Severus slowed slightly as he approached his students. He quirked a brow at Imogen, who nodded; both knew that he was asking if they were alright and she was confirming that no one was in eminent danger. Somehow, the small charms professor was keeping up with the taller and younger instructors and reached the children a step behind the two. He did not address any of the students directly but did start casting diagnostic charms to ensure all was well.

“Are you alright?” Remus spoke quietly and did not control the emotions pouring out of him.

Harry nodded, “Yes, uncle Remus, I’m alright. Honestly, I don’t think there is a scratch on me.”

“What happened? Why did Mr. Crabbe hold you all at wand point? Should he be restrained?”

“I think, perhaps, we should have this conversation elsewhere.” Deputy Headmistress McGonagall said as she finally reached them. “Considering the fact that Miss Greengrass appears to be relying on Mr. Potter to remain upright and it looks as though Mr. Crabbe is about to collapse, I believe it best that we all head to the hospital wing. Poppy can assess the students and we will be able to speak with the children without having to stand in puddles of toilet water.”

“I would agree with that,” Amelia Bones agreed stepping around the corner. “If you don’t mind, I would like to be present for those conversations. Before we go though, where is headmaster Dumbledore?”

“The castle locked him in his office as punishment for his lack of response,” Severus nearly grinned.

“The castle gave professor Dumbledore a timeout?” Daphne clarified in both wonder and confusion.

Amelia blinked before nodding. “Well that certainly simplifies things. He is often more trouble than he is worth. I think that is the best place for him, as long as he doesn’t have any pertinent information?”

“I believe he was missing for the entire event that brought you here,” Minerva agreed.

Severus nodded, “I believe Filius and myself could answer most of the questions around this event as well; what we can’t answer I assume Mr. Potter can.”

“Perfect, then let us get these students checked out by the healer.”

**Filius Flitwick’s Quarters**

Harry sat on a loveseat by the fire, Remus at his side. His potions and charms professors sat in arm chairs on either side of the sofa. Each of the adults was drinking strong, black tea while Harry was drinking hot chocolate. They had spent more than two hours going over the events of the day, and the events of the year leading up to the kidnapping. 

Amelia Bones had eventually agreed to let certain things drop as the most important questions had been answered. Vincent Crabbe had been controlled by a memory of Voldemort but the vessel containing the memory was destroyed. The monster in the chamber of secrets was a basilisk and it was no longer a threat. Professor Snape would have the restorative potion completed in three days’ time so all petrified individuals would be back to normal before classes resumed. Madam Pomfrey, Filius Flitwick and Severus Snape confirmed there was no trace of the controlling magic left in Vincent Crabbe but all recommended that he see a mind healer to help him deal with the incident. Daphne Greengrass would be fine after a good night’s sleep and two swallows of Skele-Gro. Imogen Aldridge and her snake Shiva had come out of the incident unscathed, if a little wet. Harry Potter was also uninjured.

Remus had been the one to finally step forward and ask that they let Harry rest. It was obvious to all that he either had nothing more to say, or he was unwilling to share what else did happen. Once the head of the DMLE left, Remus and his allies whisked Harry away to the Filius’s quarters as they were closest to the hospital wing and Ravenclaw tower. 

“What were you avoiding talking about with madam Bones?” Remus asked quietly, pulling the boy into his side.

“I didn’t really want to talk about the basilisk too much with her, mostly because I still don’t have all the information.”

“Tell us what you can Harry and perhaps we can help you work though some of your confusion,” his head of house smiled kindly at him.

Harry nodded. “I suppose the first thing I should clarify is that Hebe, that is the basilisk’s name, said that the diadem was the last anchor tying Voldemort’s soul to his plane.”

“So, all that remains is the shade that we face last year,” Severus spoke quietly while gripping his left arm. “Did she give any indication as to where the shade is or how we can ensure it dies for good?”

“No, she didn’t but she also indicated that she either had that information or she could help with it.”

“When you told madam Bones that the basilisk was no threat, what did you mean?” Filius wondered.

“I can’t really explain that yet. I do know that she is in control of what her eyes do. Voldemort wanted to kill the students but she chose to petrify them.” Seeing the questioning looks on his professor’s faces he continued as best he could. “The first thing a basilisk learns is how to control their killing gaze. I get the impression that they aren’t allowed out of the nest until they have complete control over whether they kill, petrify or simply look with their eyes. She is centuries old and could control her eyes long before she met Salazar Slytherin.”

“Is the entrance to the chamber in Myrtle’s bathroom?” Remus asked simply.

“Yes, it is. I am not sure if it the only one but it is the one Voldemort used.” Harry looked at his hands, “There is really only one other thing I know right now but I don’t have details. She called me the heir, the true heir. She didn’t get a chance to say anything else about it because we had to deal with the diadem and then get Daphne and Crabbe to the hospital wing.”

“How did you destroy the diadem?” Severus wondered. “The goblins have rituals to purify such objects and they say there are very few other ways to remove the taint.”

“Hebe poisoned it.”

“Basilisk poison is one of the deadliest substances in the world,” Filius nodded. “It is one of two things that can destroy a soul anchor; the other is Fiend Fire. Both destroy the artifact completely, which is why the goblins developed the ritual.” Filius looked at his young raven when he yawned. It had been a long day for the boy and he needed some peace. “I think that is enough for tonight.”

“Agreed,” Remus stood, “Harry, I’ll walk you to your dorm. In the morning, I can escort you to the entrance of the chamber if you think you are ready.” The men all knew that Harry would find his way there one way or another, no matter what they said.

The young man yawned, “Okay. I am sure Hebe won’t mind waiting until morning.” He turned his attention to Professor Snape, “You are going to have the potion ready before classes on Monday, right? I miss seeing Luna, Susan, Fred and George. Hogwarts is too quiet without the twins.”

“I will alert you when we are about to wake the students.”

Harry grinned, “Thanks professor.” He waved over his shoulder while Remus guided him out of the room.

Remus returned a short while later. He had hugged Harry tightly at the entrance to Ravenclaw tower and hoped the boy slept without being disturbed by dreams. Something Harry had said worried him greatly and it he was reading Filius and Severus’s expressions correctly, they were too. “Do you believe the house ghosts are thinking of the same heir as the basilisk?”

“I had hoped I was not the only one to come to that conclusion,” Severus sighed. “I do not want to put more on Harry than necessary when he is still so young.”

Filius nodded, “The boy is already too mature for his age most of the time. He handled the situation last year admirably and then triumphs down in the chamber as well. Most children his age are not nearly that well-adjusted and accepting. I will admit that if I were to think about any student here, I would wish were the heir Hogwarts, Harry would be toward the top of that list simply because he doesn’t see house colors.”

“Very true,” Remus nodded. “When I told him what I am, his first question was had I ever hurt anyone. All he cared about was that I was safe and had not caused anyone else harm. Ultimately, he didn’t care.”

“I can agree as well. Harry Potter is his mother’s child but with a calmer temper. I also don’t see him holding a grudge the way Lily could. I’m not entirely sure where he got that from because the Petunia I knew as a child was worse than Lily with her little vendettas, so both nature and nurture are out on that trait.” Severus ran a hand through his hair, showing his tension. “I just wish he had more time to be a child.”

“Do you think the ghosts would know more now?” Remus wondered. “Earlier they only knew he was here but perhaps they have more details now that the basilisk has officially named him.”

“A sound deduction, Remus Lupin,” Helena Ravenclaw slipped through the door, the Baron at her transparent heels. “The identity of the heir revealed itself just before the boy returned from the chamber. We are not sure if it was the basilisk or Hogwarts herself that told us but the decision is final.”

“Knowing his age,” the Baron continued, “Hogwarts does not wish to place too much responsibility on his shoulders. As such, we would like to speak to the heads of house and master Lupin to discuss what must happen now that Albus Dumbledore is no longer welcome within these walls.”

“The other ghosts are gathering the heads as we speak and informing the other staff to keep an eye on the students while we discuss the future of Hogwarts.” Helena motioned toward the door, “Sir Nicholas and Minerva await us in the staff room. The Friar and Mistress Sprout are on their way now.”

…

Minerva McGonagall sat in her office staring into space long after she should have retired to her quarters. Her life and path had always seemed so clear to her. From the time she was a child she wanted to teach and she had always loved the diversity of transfiguration. The spells and wand movements did not change but the result could always turn out just little different depending on the image conjured in the head of the caster. For her, this was the ultimate discipline because it required both textbook knowledge and creativity to achieve true greatness. 

If there was one person in her life that she had admired it had been Albus Dumbledore. The legend that followed the man made him seem larger than life, untouchable, but when she had him for a professor all those years ago, it was easy to see he was only human. Looking back, she was not sure when the kind man with the best intentions turned into the twisted man who thought he was the only one that could lead them into the light. Was he already sliding down that steep slope after returning from his victory over Grindelwald? Did it start before that? Or was it the fall of the Potters and the subsequent defeat of Lord Voldemort? It pained her that should could not pinpoint the start.

There were signs. She could see them now that she was looking back. When she had been a student, he had always looked just a little bit harder at the Slytherin students even when the lions were at fault. It was worst when she was a teacher. She could admit it now, the Marauders had been out of line and out of control during their later years at Hogwarts. Their treatment of Severus had been abhorrent. Instead of addressing it, Albus had all but laughed it off. Giving a detention or two for causing the Slytherin boy to fall down the stairs and nearly break his neck is like a slap on the wrist; it hurt of a moment but was easily forgotten. 

It shouldn’t have been the events surrounding Harry Potter that finally made her see how far her hero had fallen. The castle was right about that. The castle was right about a great many things. 

It was the headmaster and teachers that could leave the castle and see how the world was progressing while the castle remained. The ghosts could not leave, so the castle relied on them to help the school adjust and change with the times. They hadn’t done that.

It took a group of eleven-year-olds to get a boring, bigoted ghost out of his position of history teacher. Minerva was sure that those same students would have moved mountains to get rid of Lockhart had she not done so herself. 

The deputy head had spoken to the other heads about the students right after the chamber was announced. She was not the only one dealing with students thinking they needed to hex first and ask questions later. The good thing was, not one house was overrun with that attitude. Most wanted to believe that their peers, no matter what color they wore, were good. Minerva was sure that many thought of Harry and his friends when they made that stand.

Harry Potter had changed Hogwarts when he walked through those doors for the first time and it was clear he didn’t even know he was doing it. Knowing what she did, it was obvious why he was the true heir. 

The ghosts had not been clear as to why Harry was the heir; something about magic and intent. She guessed it meant that Harry would be the one powerful enough to bring about change but he would also only bring about changes that would benefit the students that needed Hogwarts. 

Their meeting had been long but necessary. The ghosts had once again explained that Albus was no longer Headmaster. The rest of the staff had laughed when Severus mentioned Daphne’s announcement that the castle had put the man in time out. With no headmaster, there needed to be some changes. Hogwarts, by way of the ghosts, had asked her to act as the interim headmaster until they found someone or the heir was ready to take his place. Minerva had informed them she would be willing, as long as she could continue teaching at least some of her classes. Headmaster had never been her dream. In order for this to happen, as the castle agreed she was an excellent teacher, they decided to appoint Remus as head of Gryffindor. She could not fault their choice. 

It was not lost on her that she had been doing the primary duties of the headmaster over the last few years, about five actually, and she had been slacking in her duties as head of house. Really, there weren’t enough hours in the day and she really didn’t want to request a time turner for herself. That would be embarrassing. Being the official interim headmaster without being the head of Gryffindor, she could do. She could look for an additional transfiguration teacher or train someone, and they could split the classes, giving her more time but still allowing her to teach. On the night of the full moon, Minerva could watch over Gryffindor and no one would be the wiser. It really was a perfect plan. 

Severus had been the one to bring up the rumored curse on the defense position. The ghosts admitted that the wards were a bit of a mess. Each headmaster added something of themselves to the school and most thought their ideas of security were the best so they added or changed parts of the wards. The result was that some areas of the school were only partially guarded and others were overly protected. Filius had suggested having the goblins review the wards and he indicated that they could essentially reset the wards or build new ones if that made more sense. If there was a curse tied to the defense position in any way, the goblins would find it. Hiring the goblins really was the best option and Minerva knew just how to pay for it. The former headmasters knew just where Binns’ salary had been going for the last few centuries. Hogwarts was actually doing quite well financially now that they had that money at their disposal.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Helena asked, appearing before Minerva’s desk.

“I can’t seem to turn my mind off. Looking back, I see the signs that this was coming and I’m ashamed that I missed them.” She rubbed her tired eyes, “The students deserve better.”

The ghost hummed in agreement. “You should know that mother would have liked you.” The Scottish woman looked up surprised at the statement. “Not for you lion’s heart and honor but for your fierce need to protect the students. Everyone makes mistakes, mine cost me my life. You have a chance to make up for the things you regret. I envy your chance.” The ghost looked around the room. “Your office reminds me of my mothers. She would sit, much like you are now, with a low fire worrying that she had made all the wrong decisions concerning the school and the students in her care. It wasn’t until I died that she realized that sometimes there is nothing you can do but go on. My mother outlived me and that destroyed her in many ways, but she also used it. I felt abandoned because she spent so much time caring for the children of others so I acted out much like any spoilt child would. Mother didn’t have me anymore but she knew what to look for. She saved students who struggle like I did, taught them that everyone has their own kind of greatness, their own strengths.” Helena smiled kindly, “Not everyone can be brave and bold like Godric Gryffindor or kind and loving like Helga. There are few who can hold the knowledge of the world in their hands like mother could and fewer still that can plan centuries ahead like Salazar Slytherin. But there are plenty of people who can see their mistakes and decide to not make the same ones again.”

When Minerva McGonagall looked up from her hands, clutched tightly in her lap, she was alone in her office and the fire was nearly out. “Thank you, Helena, your mother would be proud of what you have overcome.”


	25. A Promise

**Office of the Headmaster**

“I demand you let me out of my office,” Albus Dumbledore raged. He was utterly furious with the fact that he could not seem to get his door to open. On top of that, the Floo refused to work and certain portraits kept mocking him. “I know you have something to do with this Vindictus. You and Phineas are far to smug to not have a been the ones to circumvent my authority.”

Vindictus Veridian casually examined his nails, forcing his inner triumph to remain hidden. “I have no body, Albie, how could I possibly lock you in your office?”

“We are just portraits,” Phineas Black did smirk but only because he was nearly always smirking. “We have no magic and can only travel between our own portraits. Need I remind you that my other portrait is currently in a construction zone? My many times great grandson is renovating the family home so I am stuck here if I want to hear anything other than construction magic. Do you honestly think I would force myself to spend more time with you?”

“Perhaps Miss Kitty has put you in a time out,” Vindictus said mildly. The ghosts had stopped by while Dumbles was sleeping to impart that brilliant line.

“I am in control of Hogwarts because I am the headmaster. She cannot take that control from me.”

“My boy,” Armando Dippet sighed tiredly, “If you are so keen to leave, why don’t you ask that lovely bird of yours to assist you?”

“Oh, Armando, we agreed not to bring up Fawkes again,” Elizabeth Burke attempted to sound sympathetic. “You know as well as I do that Fawkes hasn’t been back since last year after the Higgs boy died. I think the subject still hurts poor Albie.”

“How many times must I tell you not to call me Albie? And Fawkes is on a mission,” he lied. He had no idea where his phoenix had gone. Stupid bird suddenly decided to disappear despite knowing who his master was. He would need punishing when he came crawling (flying) back.

“It’s like Bumbles thinks we don’t know what a broken phoenix bond looks like,” Phineas said conspiratorially.

Vindictus shook his head. “Albus, if you would take a moment to think I am sure you could come up with a reason why you are not allowed to leave this office. The ghosts have been warning you about your poor standing within Hogwarts all term.”

“I am the Headmaster!” he boomed. “The board of Governors are the only ones who can terminate my contract.”

“Actually,” Minerva McGonagall said, stepping through the door to the office, the five others behind her. “The bylaws clearly state that Hogwarts can expel any teacher or headmaster if they are found in gross negligence.”

“You have hired incompetent Defense Professors for years, meaning you are not providing a proper education for the students. That is strike one,” Remus spoke quietly but clearly from his position to Minerva’s left.

Albus smiled with his signature twinkle, “I do hope you are not adding yourself to that list of poor teachers, my boy. I thought you were doing quite well and I hired you.”

“Actually,” Elizabeth interjected, sounding mildly apologetic. “Madam McGonagall hired master Lupin without discussing it with you.”

“And don’t deny it, Bumbles.” Vindictus looked down at him gleefully, “You threw quite the temper tantrum about it.”

“You perpetuated the discrimination in this school.” Severus Snape would pull no punches here. It was Albus Dumbledore’s inaction that drove him into the arms of the death eaters all those years ago. The fact that he stood next to one of his former tormentors was in direct opposition to Albus Dumbledore and his teachings.

“There is no discrimination in Hogwarts,” Dumbledore looked out the window, hoping that if he could not see them, they would disappear. 

“You also ignored signs of abuse and ordered us not to investigate further.” Pomona Sprout was all but seething, a sight rarely seen. 

“Let us not forget all of the laws you broke when it came to Harry Potter,” Filius Flitwick placed a hand on the shoulder of the young man in question. It pained him to bring that up with the boy present but it was necessary. “Goblins have long memories; I will never forget.”

“Albus Dumbledore,” Harry stepped forward so that he was standing next to the seething transfiguration teacher. “Hogwarts would like to officially terminate your contract as headmaster. She demands that you be escorted off the property immediately. It is the decision of the heads of house and your interim replacement that you be delivered to the hands of the department of magical law enforcement. They are waiting at the gates as we speak.”

Dumbledore scoffed. “Might I ask why, Mr. Potter, you are the one delivering this message? Did the castle talk to you?” The old man spoke in a tone most unlike the one he usually used for students. He was patronizing and more than a little sarcastic. 

“Be careful how you speak to the Heir,” the Bloody Baron growled. He and the ghosts joined the living to ensure the disgraced man left the school. 

A barking laugh left Albus Dumbledore. “Are you trying to tell me that Harry Potter is the Heir of Slytherin? Harry Potter is related to Tom Riddle?” 

“He did not say the heir of Slytherin, Dumbles,” Phineas was enjoying this. 

“No,” Helena agreed, “what he said was the Heir. Had you been a competent headmaster you would have read the lore.” Around the room, the headmasters of old nodded their heads. “Written in the earliest records was a prophecy that one day, when Hogwarts was at great need, someone would come that had the heart and magic to free Hogwarts from destruction.”

“It was thought,” Sir Nicholas sighed sadly, “that at one time you might be that savior. You were a bright boy with great dreams but your heart turned out to be too full of greed to serve anyone but yourself.”

“Though you have done great things in the past,” Armando Dippet said sadly, “you did them for the glory of Albus, not because they would help people or save lives.”

“Hogwarts knows, as do we all,” the Friar was solemn, “that you do not hold the values of the founders.”

“You are not hardworking or fair,” Pomona Sprout said clearly.

“Though you have the potential to be intelligent, you do not learn from experience,” Filius added, “your only thought is how to make things fit your interpretation of facts.” 

“You may be ambitious, but the use of ambition to rule the world is self-serving and of no use to Hogwarts.” Severus Snape knew what that lead to, a dark lord killing anyone who stood in his way, even his followers.

“It is not brave or honorable to manipulate others to fight your battles for you,” Minerva glared at her former hero.

“Hogwarts has spoken,” Harry said finally. “You are no longer welcome within these walls.”

That seemed to click something in the man’s mind. “Harry, my boy. There are things you need to know. Things only I can tell you. Voldemort will come back one day and only I can help you defeat him. He has done things that no one knows about besides me. Without me, he will win. Do you want that, Harry? Don’t you want my help?”

Harry shook his head, “I think I have all the help I need, thank you. Professor Flitwick has been extremely helpful to me already. Professor Snape has helped me a lot too. I know I can trust Remus to protect me and it is clear to me that if I asked that Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall would help me fight any evil. In fact, the only adult in this castle I think would be less help than you is Mr. Filch and that is only because he doesn’t have any magic. I am sure he would help if he could though,” that was sort of a lie but it worked to prove his point. “It is time for you to go now.”

There was a flash of light and when the occupants of the office could see again, Albus Dumbledore was unconscious in the chair behind the desk. 

“HA,” Vindictus Veridian shouted, “That is for being a pompous arse!”

Minerva, and the rest of the living individuals looked at the man in the portrait. The acting head slowly allowed her gaze to find Helena Ravenclaw, “Did the castle do that or did headmaster Veridian?”

Helena’s ghostly form gulped, “It was Vindictus, and Hogwarts is not entirely sure how he did it, but she found it amusing so doesn’t particularly care.”

“Note to self,” Harry said quietly, “Don’t irritate the portraits too much, especially him.” There wasn’t an individual in the room, alive, dead or painted, that could argue with that statement.

**Chamber of Secrets**

_The end of your time on this earth draws near, parasite._

**I regret to inform you that there is nothing that can remove me from this world. I have done more than any before and any after me to prevent my death. Lord Voldemort will live forever in one way or another.**

_Your ignorance and arrogance are astounding. Creating horcruxes was the stupidest decision you could have made. They are forbidden magics not because of what they do to the soul and what they require to make them but because they oppose natural order. Death is inevitable. All things must die or the world falls into chaos._

**I find it hilarious that you fear silly superstitions. Though I wonder how you know what I did, it does not matter. I made Horcruxes. I prevented my death. No one will ever stop me because I went father that any to ensure my eternal victory.**

_I see I was successful in blocking you out of my immediate thoughts while I spoke with the heir._

**What are you talking about?**

_I destroyed the last of your horcruxes in the chamber floor not an hour ago._

**You did no such thing. And even if you did manage to destroy one, I made many more than that.**

_You really are stupid. I can feel the broken tethers of your soul anchors. I destroyed the anchor you placed in Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem. I felt the destruction of the others, one by one, starting only months from when you tried to gain possession of my mind. Didn’t you feel the severing when each of the six was destroyed?_

**I only made five. I was unable to complete the ritual of the sixth the night Potter tore my soul from my body.**

_Splitting the soul damages the soul. The more you split your soul, the more unstable it becomes. You intended to use the death of Harry Potter to create your sixth horcrux but instead your unfinished ritual you used the destruction of your body to make Harry Potter a horcrux._

**Then the boy is dead? If all of my anchors are destroyed then the boy must be dead.**

_Wizards really should remember that the other races are intelligent. Goblins found a way to remove a soul anchor from objects without destroying them long ago. They are experts at altering rituals. The goblins removed the anchor from Harry Potter’s scar during the summer holiday. I watched it due to my connection to you and my advanced understanding of magic. I watch each and every time the goblins removed a soul anchor from an object. I watched as they removed the soul from the black stone ring bearing the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. I saw Helga Hufflepuff’s cup and Slytherin’s locket cleansed. I saw a diary burned with Fiend Fire and I spilled my own poison on the diadem. There is nothing keeping you from crossing over into death save me and I will not allow you to live for much longer._

**And how are you going to kill me when I am a part of you?**

She did not answer him. He didn’t need to know, not yet at least. Her plans would come to pass in due time. The ancient basilisk moved down the tunnels, shoving the shade of Tom Riddle to the back of her mind so he did not know what she was doing. Harry was returning and he was the only one who was worthy to know her plans.

 _“Welcome back, Harry Potter,”_ she peaked her head into the main entrance of the chamber. The young man stood in front of the pool staring at her with trust and awe. He still smelled of the remnants of fear but that was to be expected. She was mighty in both size and power, all who looked at her should fear her at least a little.

_“How are you, Hebe?”_

_“I am as well as can be expected, young Harry.”_ She turned her head _, “come, there is much for me to show you and much for us to discuss.”_

Harry looked at the water and then at the entrance to her tunnel. He was about to ask how he could cross the water when he remembered what she said about stairs in the other chamber; he need only to ask. With only a word in Parseltongue a bridge formed over the water, giving Harry access to the tunnels beyond. 

There were many offshoots from the tunnel but they did not turn down any. Hebe did not speak or even look at him until she reached a point where the tunnel widened, giving her the opportunity to coil around herself and look at him. _“My time on this earth is coming to an end and there is much I must do before I take my final breath.”_

_“Are you sick or something? What can I do to help you?”_

The snake chuckled, _“There is nothing that can be done for me now. There are many reasons that this is my time to die. The most important one is that you and the magical world will never be free so long as I live for Tom Riddle, or I suppose I should say Voldemort, resides within me.”_ She paused, watching him closely. His shock was apparent. 

_“Forced possession by a shade always results in death,”_ Harry muttered. _“Professor Flitwick said something about it when he saved me last year from Quirrell-mort.”_

_“That is true, but the quickness of death depends entirely on the host body. There are some who can live months in this possession, like your Quirrell. While others will parish the day they are possessed, much like the animals he used to get back to England. The magic within sustains the body while the possessing spirit drains the magic slowly. The more magic within the host the longer they will live. The more magic the host uses; the quicker death comes.”_

_“He is draining you?”_

_“No.”_ She shook her giant head slightly. _“Were it not for other circumstances, I would live with the shade for another two centuries. There are three reasons that my time is coming and only one of them is truly tied to the false heir.”_

_“How much time do we have? We have only just met and I don’t want to lose you so soon. There is so much I could learn from you, so much I could do with your guidance.”_

Her eyes softened, _“Do not fear, my young friend, I will not leave you without access to the knowledge you will need and guidance. I believe it is important for you to know all three of the reasons that my time has come. The first lies with natural order. Magic and life will be thrown out of alignment if the shade of Tom Riddle continues to reside in the world of the living. While he cannot cause direct harm while trapped in my mind, other evils will intensify because his twisted soul leaks evil into the school and the world beyond. Tom Riddle is the reason for the madness consuming the mind of the current headmaster. He was a direct enemy to the shade so his mind warped when the shade did not die the night he tried to kill you.”_

_“Will the headmaster get better? I mean if Voldemort goes wherever it is souls are meant to be at death, shouldn’t the madness leave the headmaster too?”_

_“No. The damage is done. Removing the tainted soul only stops further damage of this world, it will not cure what has already happened. The madness, while unfortunate is also of the headmaster’s making. Had he acted differently; the change would not be so great. His decision to immerse himself in the darkness that consumed Tom Riddle’s soul left his own open to the taint as well. Being a direct enemy already left him vulnerable to the darkness but there are counters to that. Innocence, good deeds, healing, even laughter and joy can push the darkness back.”_

Harry nodded slowly, absorbing what she had said. _“I think I understand. Because Albus Dumbledore focused so much on ending Voldemort, even after death, the darkness leaked into him. Had he focused on the light, on the children, he would not be as damaged as he is. What are the other reasons you have to die?”_

 _“The second reason lies further in the tunnels. I will take you there in a moment but first I will explain about my kind.”_ She took a deep breath, her large scales expanding and contracting. _“There are two types of basilisks, no matter what wizards claim. The first is the false basilisk. A false basilisk is one who is made by wizards. They are so similar to a true basilisk that only a serpent would know the difference. Most of that difference is in power and longevity. The largest difference is that they are always males. A true basilisk is one born of a queen. Wizards claim we lay unfertilized eggs but this is not entirely true. The eggs laid by a queen can only hatch when the queen is ready._

_“There can only be two live basilisks of any line alive at a time. A queen births a queen and they can only coexist for a short time or the balance of power would shift once more. When a queen is ready, she wills her child to hatch and she then spends the first year or so of her offspring’s life training her to control her sight. Once the child can turn the death glance off at will, the child must use her killing glance on her mother.”_

_“Your child has to kill you?” he could hear the devastation and disbelief in his own hisses._

_“I hear your outrage but allowing myself to die by my child’s eyes stops the pain. A queen shares her magic with her offspring. The magic of a basilisk is passed from mother to daughter and can only be shared for so long before both start to die due to the power struggle. If I delay my death too long, my child will die and I will fall even farther into the madness than I already am. I will become a mindless beast, hell bent on death and destruction. I would bring the school down in my rage and hunger. It must be done, young Harry, but there is a benefit. My magic and memories live on in my child. The instant our eyes connect, my daughter will gain all she needs to live for as long or longer than I did. She will be here with you, carrying a piece of me that will guide you both.”_

Harry closed his eyes. Somehow, he knew that what she said was true. Yes, she could lie to him but he felt in his heart that what she said was the absolute truth. _“What did you mean when you said you would go farther into madness?”_

_“I made an oath to my human and to the magic maintaining this school. That oath was to protect the students to my death against those who would bring them harm. Tom Riddle damaged my mind when he took control of me because he did not want to protect anyone but himself. He saw some of the students as vermin and would have seen them dead. I could not completely refuse him due to his blood connection to my human. While I did not kill for him, I still attacked the children of this school. Breaking my oath in any way attacks the very essence of me. My mind, body and magic suffer the consequences.”_

_“But I thought a girl died?”_

_“That was not me. Tom killed the girl because she saw the entrance to this camber.”_

_“But she told Remus that she saw big yellow eyes and then died. Wouldn’t she have seen Tom or the spell if that was what killed her? Don’t deadly spells always produce some colored light?”_

_“They do when they are cast in their original form. When a spell of death or destruction is cast in Parseltongue, it has no color, no warning. Tom cast the killing curse for the first time at this school and did so using Parseltongue. Hogwarts would not have recognized it for what it was because of how different it feels cast in the language of the serpent.”_

_“If that is true, why did he cast the original version when he killed my mother? I see the intense green of the curse in my dreams. I hear the words.”_ Harry could not stop the shudder that racked through his body at the mention of that particular memory. 

_“Casting in Parseltongue drains more magic if not done properly. There are certain things that come easier than others. Ultimately, Parselmagic is meant to heal, to protect. To cast a curse designed to remove the soul from the body in Parseltongue would have devastating consequences. Tom very nearly drained his magic when he did that to Myrtle. He damaged his magic and would have killed himself if her weren’t as powerful as he was. There is a reason he needed dark rituals to improve himself.”_

_“I suppose it is a good thing that I found that book on Parseltongue when I did. Not that I want to cause anyone harm but it could have been bad if I did something in the heat of the moment.”_ Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts. He was fairly certain he saw where this was going. _“Your daughter is either able to control her sight or she is almost there, isn’t she?”_

_“Yes, Harry Potter she is. I willed her to hatch only days after the shade invaded my mind. His mind found mine only minutes after killing Terrance Higgs. My daughter hatched three days later. We have been training every day since. She has been practicing on mice and other such pests and has done as instructed correctly the last dozen times we have practiced. If I remain living for more than a week after determining her skill, the magic we share will start to rip us apart.”_

_“What is the third reason?”_ Harry looked at his feet.

 _“This will be hard to hear but please allow me to explain fully.”_ Hebe lowered her head so that it was resting on her coiled body. _“The true reason I can no longer remain is tied to my daughter. I would not have chosen to allow her to hatch had things not happened the way they did. If circumstance has changed even slightly, I would have had to wait until the next option appeared.”_

The twelve-year-old gulped and shook his head. _“I am the reason, aren’t I?”_

_“Yes, Harry, you are. I made an oath to my human centuries ago. I promised to protect the school until the true heir made himself known. You are the true heir. Despite his insistence, Tom Riddle could never be the true heir because he is not the heir of Salazar Slytherin’s heart, intent or magic; all he shared with my human was blood. There are many who could be the heir but circumstances change them so that they no longer fit what was foretold. You will find no record of a prophecy but we still knew that one day you would come.”_

_“If there were many possibilities but chance and choice made a difference, then I might not have been where I am today,”_ Harry surmised _. “Are you saying that if I had grown up differently or made different friends, I might not have been the true heir?”_

_“I am. It was your insistence that house should not dictate friendships or path in life that made you the heir of Salazar’s intent. It was your defense of the differences in others that connected you to his heart. Had the anchor remained in your scar, it would have altered your magic so that you were not fit to one day take up your role.”_

_“The soul anchor was not removed until this summer, how did you know that I would be the heir if it was still within me when you woke your daughter?”_

_“I am tied to the wards. There are things I can do that no other can. I listened to any mention of you by the staff. I could feel your potential already and knew if the darkness tied to your pure soul was removed that you would be the heir. Hogwarts has been searching for you so it was easy to keep tabs. The goblin had theories he spoke of only to his empty rooms but that was enough for me to know that he would cleanse you of the impurity.”_

_“What if they failed?”_

_“Then I would have died knowing that I took the shade with me. My daughter would have my knowledge and she would be the one waiting for the next heir. I can only hope that I would have managed to keep my sanity long enough to die by my terms.”_

Harry wasn’t entirely sure what to say to that. It was humbling to know that this ancient, wise creature had put so much faith in him. It terrified him to think about what might have happened if things had been different. What if he was still a Horcrux? What if he was friends with Ron instead of Neville? What if Lockhart was still their professor? What if he was enemies with Draco? What if he hadn’t thought to speak to her but instead attacked? The possibilities were endless and terrifying. He could just imagine a brash Gryffindor trying to attack this mighty basilisk with nothing but a sword.

Ultimately, that did not matter now. All that was left of Voldemort was the shade. Hogwarts and Hebe saw him as the heir. His heart told him that this was the path he had been looking for when considering his future. This felt right even if it was scary to have all of that pressure in his shoulders. 

_“If I am the heir, what does that mean?”_

Hebe tilted her head slightly, _“It means that you could do great things. What Hogwarts and I hope is that one day you will return to Hogwarts to be her Headmaster. We need you to bring about change and to protect the students from a world that does not understand them. You have the heart of a protector and the magic to succeed if you so choose.”_

Harry’s lips twitched into a crooked smile. Ever sense he stepped into the castle he had felt a connection. He loved his aunt and cousin but for some reason, Hogwarts had always felt more like home than his bedroom next door to Dudley’s. It was like the castle personally welcomed him every time he walked through the front doors. While he had never really thought about his future beyond doing something to make his parents and family proud, he could honestly see himself being a teacher at Hogwarts. 

No teaching would not be curing the world of disease but it would be protecting the future by making sure the next generation had the tools to go out and make those choices themselves. Being Headmaster meant he could stop the house discrimination. He could make it so that rivalry stayed on the pitch and out of the classroom. He could use his upbringing to help the pureblood students understand the world around them so they weren’t so obvious when they walked around muggle London. 

He could shape minds and allow them to flourish without fear of reprisal.

_“I had never really thought about being a teacher but I think I would enjoy it. I wanted to do something good with my life, something my mother would be proud of, and what better way than to make sure the young are given the freedom to grow and learn in peace.”_

_“It lifts my heart to hear that. There are two things I would ask of you. The first is to always remember Hogwarts and Salazar’s dream.”_

_“From what you have described, it is a dream worth remembering and protecting. I will do what I can to fix his reputation and will always fight for Hogwarts. What more would you ask of me?”_

_“The second is to look after my daughter. I hope that one day the two of you might have even half the relationship that I had with Salazar.”_

Harry nodded, hoping his sincerity was clear in his eyes. He didn’t think that would be hard at all. He was already half in love with Hebe and if her daughter was anything like her, and considering she would gain her mother’s memories that seemed likely, he would love her too. _“Can I meet her?”_

 _“She has been asking for you.”_ Hebe turned her head to look down one of the tunnels. _“Head that way, I will be directly behind you. Fear not, my daughter knows not to kill without permission so you will be safe, but even without the order she would know you for what you are.”_

_“How?”_

_“While most speakers need to converse with us for a serpent to realize they have the gift, you are different. My daughter and I would know you by sight alone. The power of my partner radiates around you. I can see that his legacy has accepted the man you are becoming and as long as you continue on this path, you will always be connected to the line of the serpent queen.”_

_“So, if I become a dark lord, she will no longer follow me?”_

_“You are correct, young Harry, but if that were a possibility, we would not be having this conversation. If that were in your heart, the magic would never have accepted you, blood or not.”_

Harry came to the tunnel’s exit and came face to face with a much smaller basilisk. While she was small, she was still bigger than Harry. She was probably ten feet long and bigger around that he was. Harry wasn’t sure it was possible but he thought the little basilisk smiled. 

_“You came,”_ she hissed gleefully, pushing her snout against Harry’s chest. _“I thought you never would.”_

 _“Child, you are far too impatient for one who can live millennia,”_ Hebe sighed.

 _“What is her name,”_ Harry asked, placing his hand on the top of the snake’s head as she nuzzled his chest. 

_“She does not yet have a name. Salazar named me, binding us in ways that I cannot describe. You will name my daughter and then you will have to go. But first, at the end of the other tunnel in the last break is a room. That room was Salazar’s private office. You will find many things in that room that will be useful, including a list and map off all the passageways that only one like you can use. When you return to the school as Headmaster, that will be particularly useful as there is a passage directly from Salazar’s office to the office used by the headmaster.”_ Hebe moved so that she was laying around the room, coiling so that the entrance remained clear but she was stretched across every inch of wall space. _“I am tired, Harry Potter and my time is near. Name your partner so that she can take over the mantel of queen.”_

Harry moved to sit in the middle of the room on what looked like a bunch of hay and old, worn out blankets while the young basilisk wrapped herself around him, placing her head on his knee. 

_“We will protect this school, Harry Potter,”_ the little basilisk hissed quietly. 

_“Yes, we will, little queen.”_ Harry ran a hand down her head until he couldn’t reach any more. For Harry, he didn’t need to speak to connect with his basilisk companion. “Queen,” he mused, this time in English and it felt strange after speaking Parseltongue for so long. He was starting to recognize the difference. “This is for you mom,” he looked up and smiled at the room’s ceiling. _“I think I have the perfect name for you. Rhiannon. It means great queen, something I believe you will be. It is also the title of a song by one of my mom’s favorite bands.”_

 _“I like it,”_ she hissed in pleasure before lifting her head to look at her mother. _“My name is Rhiannon, mother.”_

 _“Very good, Rhiannon,”_ she lifted her head. _“It is time for Harry to leave us for now, but he will come back to see you soon.”_ Hebe sounded tired. _“I will lead Harry to one of the more convenient passages to the main castle and return. Stay her, my child.”_

The pair left the room and the small basilisk behind, making their way back to the maze of tunnels beneath the school. _“I must apologize again for not being able to refuse to petrify your classmates. Tom was a speaker and he is a blood heir so I really did have to follow most of his instructions.”_

_“I understand, and I will make sure that the professors at least understand.”_

_“I thank you, Harry.”_ She led him to a blank wall and stopped. _“This wall will open into a passageway that leads to the Great Hall. The passage will open up to the side of where they have placed the head table. The passages throughout these chambers will open for you with a word simply because you are the true heir.”_

_“Thank you, Hebe. I will miss you.”_

_“I will be with you because my daughter is here, Harry, so do not mourn me. Before you go,”_ she stopped him before he could go down the passage he had just opened. _“Remember that Hogwarts is always with you. She will aid you and protect those who seek to protect the students of this school. I know you cannot take leadership of the school when you are so young but I suggest you place your hand against the crest at the back of the Great Hall. It will show your acceptance of the honor of Hogwarts Heir and will allow her to share knowledge with you when needed. She will not connect with you unless the situation calls for it.”_

Harry nodded, choosing not to speak because he did not think he could refrain from crying if he tried. Placing his hand on her large head one last time, he turned and left the chamber, knowing that when he returned, Hebe would be gone.

…

Hebe sighed internally as the passage closed behind the heir. For one who had lived so long she was both relieved and worried about her impending death. A part of her knew there was nothing more she could do. She had done what was expected, save when Tom controlled her actions, and had waited until Salazar’s heir had arrived. The only problem was, a small part of her wasn’t ready to die. 

She had been alone for so long; centuries without her human. Year after year, decades turning into centuries, all of it with nothing but her own thoughts to sustain her. When young Tom had first arrived, she had hoped he would be a little like Salazar. She was sorely disappointed. 

Tom Riddle was an angry, petty, power hungry sociopath. 

It was because of her loneliness and Tom that she was prepared to fall into the endless sleep of death. It was the promise of Harry Potter that birthed her reluctance to leave.

Harry Potter was everything Salazar had hoped to be, or at least he would be. She could not see the future but she could see the person he was and what he could become. The young boy’s future would be glorious and she wished she could see it. 

She looked to her daughter, Rhiannon, her little queen. The name was perfect. The little basilisk was a bundle of energy, coiled and ready to explode with enthusiasm. Hebe was reluctant to cast a shadow on the hatchling’s joy but there was little time and her resolve would only waver the longer she procrastinated. 

**Well, aren’t you depressing?**

And he was still there, she was forced to admit upon hearing Voldemort’s response to her melancholy musings. The most compelling reason for her death was the maniac shade residing within her. Hebe allowed the walls within her mind to drop, allowing the dark lord to see the full extent of his failure. She allowed him to feel the destruction of each of his anchors. She forced him to see the light and acceptance that radiated from the young boy he loathed so much. 

_It is time for you to finally follow the natural order of things and leave the land of the living._

**And how do you propose to do that? In order for me to die, you would have to die too and I don’t think you have the strength of will to end your own life.**

_It seems I was better at hiding my thoughts from you than I thought._ Hebe allowed forced him to listen to the lessons her own mother had given her as a hatchling during her training. She replayed the final lesson, the one that said in order for a basilisk queen’s mind to survive, she would have to kill her own mother when the magic ran out. Finally, she allowed him to feel the bond she shared with her daughter, allowed him to feel how weak the magic was between them. 

The magic had all but run out.

_You and I will die before the sun reaches its highest point. This is the last day of my life and the last day or your flight from death._

**I will stop you.**

_No, you won’t. There is nothing that can stop this now._

_“Rhiannon,”_ she hissed allowed, looking to her daughter _“It is time.”_

…

Tom Marvolo Riddle felt fear for the first time that he cared to remember. He had not allowed himself to fear as a child; it was the fastest way to allow others to make you feel insignificant. There was no fear at Hogwarts because it was his home, his place. Fear wasn’t even a thought when he was gaining allies, nor was it a possibility when those allies fell into their rightful place as followers. He didn’t even feel fear when he faced the Potter bitch and his spell backfired. There hadn’t been time for fear. 

Even if he’d had time to feel fear, he doubted he would have. There was no reason to fear because he could not die. Not truly. His soul was tied to the world of the living. If his body died, he could, and would rise again. Lord Voldemort would rule all. There was no question about it.

Now, seeing the beast’s thoughts and memories, he felt something he had never felt before. Fear. Somehow, those less powerful, less intelligent, less than him, had managed to find them all. Each and every Horcrux he had created, his diary, the locket, Hufflepuff’s cup, Ravenclaw’s diadem, his idiot grandfather’s ring, and even the stupid boy that he didn’t even mean to make a horcrux, all of them destroyed or cleansed. 

How could they have succeeded? How could they have outsmarted him? 

It was Quirrell’s fault. If it hadn’t been for his fool attempt to kill the boy with so few in attendance, this would not have happened. If it had been at an actual game, and not the Ravenclaw only game, there would have been too many people present for the goblin and Snape to realize it was him. Vector would never have gotten close to the boy, for it had to be the arithmancy teacher that discovered it, and she would not have given those results to the goblin. Yes, it was all Quirrell’s fault. 

He probably would have still failed to gain the Philosopher’s Stone, Dumbledore was an almost worthy opponent, but he would have been free. He would not have been stuck in this stupid snake. If he were in any other host he would not be stuck in the body. Of course, at this point his only option to keep living was to in habit a body. With no other anchors, the moment the body he inhabited died, he would be dragged to whatever hell awaited him. If he was in a different host, he could take it over and start again. 

And Snape. It was Severus Snape’s fault too. What kind of follower attacks his master? A dead one. At least he could take the traitor with him. 

Through the giant beast’s eyes, Voldemort saw the infant snake look at her mother. He felt the great beast heave a sigh before the little one’s eyes flashed. A shock ran through the giant body he was stuck in from snout to tail. Inch by inch, cell by cell, the beasts body shut down. It was painful and yet not. It took eons, but happened in a second. Her last act of life was to chuckle in her own head and then she collapsed, dead after living longer than any other.

Voldemort’s soul began to drift. He reached out through the brands. His magic tied each and every one of his followers, his minions, his cannon fodder to him. What was left of his magic pulled at the bonds and began to suck them dry. One by one the lights he knew were the magical cores of his Death Eaters dimmed and extinguished. 

Though he tried, this was the final death of Tom Marvolo Riddle. His minions’ magic could not make a body for him. It could not revive the dead basilisk below him. Their magic could not give his broken soul the strength to take over another body. 

The last thing his soul saw was death. Even knowing his fate was sealed, he did not welcome death as a friend, he tried to run, kicking and screaming as he was dragged to his final rest. 


	26. Epilogue: A Promise Kept

**Hogwarts**

Harry Potter sighed as he placed the ancient book back in its place on the shelves. It was times like this that he wished he could take the books out of Salazar’s private study in the Chamber of Secrets but the stasis charm within the room maintained the ancient books and if they left the room they would all but disintegrate. He was tired and would have preferred to do this research in his office or in his quarters as he had gotten very little sleep the previous night due to his toddler son’s dislike of sleeping when it was dark out. He felt old and just a bit creaky despite the fact that he wasn’t yet thirty. 

_“I could bite the horrible little human,”_ his king cobra Set, named for the Egyptian god, offered gleefully. Shiva had insisted on gifting Harry one of her offspring a little over ten years ago and unfortunately for him, the one that chosen him was the most annoying snake of the bunch. 

_“We have talked about this, Set. If you harm my children, I will give you to Severus so he can use you for potions ingredients.”_

_“For a ‘Royal’ snake, you have a remarkably poor ability to remember very simple things.”_ Harry’s youngest snake, Lulu (named by his five-year-old daughter who had inherited his Parseltongue gift) was an adder and loved to poke fun at the self-important cobra. Lulu was actually bonded to his daughter Iris, but he refused to allow a five-year-old to control a venomous snake, even if it was a common breed in their homeland and the snake was extremely protective of the precocious little girl.

 _“Enough,”_ Harry sighed before any of the others could join in. _“I am too tired to deal with your bickering. One would think that serpents of such renown would act less like dunderheads.”_

Harry had collected quite a few snakes over the years. The first, of course, was Rhiannon the Basilisk but she had told Harry that she wanted some company for when Harry was in class. Rhiannon had spent the entirety of her life with her mother and did not like being alone in the chamber. Because Harry could not spend all his time there, she had asked him if he would acquire another snake to keep her company. That was where his boomslang Zulu came in. Zulu was from Africa, captured because he was magical, and was lucky that Harry had walked into the magical menagerie when he did. Harry and the snake had already bonded when another man, intending to use him for potions ingredients, tried to buy him. Even if Sirius wasn’t a dark man, he still had the Black reputation at his back, so the man quickly relented.

After Zulu, came Nefertiti, the Egyptian Asp, or more commonly known as the Egyptian Cobra. Nefertiti was just as headstrong and proud as Shiva had been and was the only reason that Harry was able to keep Set under control despite his Parseltongue abilities. Nefertiti had instantly loved Harry’s children while Set had not. Nefertiti was four years older that the king cobra so Set was forced to bow to her authority. 

Harry had also saved a blood red bush viper from traders while in Egypt visiting Bill Weasley one year. The bush viper had insisted on joining him because he was a speaker and was owed a debt for saving the viper’s life. Apparently, when you saved a viper, they served you until they repaid the life debt. Scarlet was fiercely protective of Harry’s family.

He lowered his hand down to the desk so the Lulu could climb up his arm to rest on his shoulder. She was currently the smallest of his snakes so it took her a great deal of time to travel the tunnels. Harry also stooped and picked up Scarlet. Vipers were typically smaller than cobras and Scarlet was young enough that she wasn’t near average size for a magical viper. She preferred to ride in his pockets. The other three, Zulu, Nefertiti and Set were far too dignified to require assistance. 

_“Rhiannon,”_ Harry called as he stepped into the tunnel, _“We are headed back up to the office. If you need anything send Rikki and I will come.”_ The last of his collection of snakes was Rikki, the green anaconda. Rikki was already over three hundred pounds, and because of her magic, she was only going to continue to grow. She had come to Harry through Luna. Luna had found the fifty-six-year-old snake in the jungles of Africa. She had been injured in a trap but ate anyone who came near her. Luna had somehow managed to get Rikki to understand that she knew a speaker and the rest was history. 

As always, Rhiannon did not answer. Theirs was a bond that did not need words. He could feel her acceptance and her desire for him to come back and bring the children. Rhiannon felt his kids were her own. Harry was her nest mate, his children her hatchlings. 

Harry had kept his promise to Hebe. 

His time at school had been much changed after the ancient basilisk had died. The very afternoon she died there was an incident that showed Harry’s very unique connection to the school and their combined dedication to work toward saving those who needed them most. 

_Severus Snape walked into the Great Hall a little late for lunch that day. Harry like many of the students, had heard the door open and turned to see who was late in arriving. The potions master had visibly scanned the hall, his eyes traveling down each table as though taking role of all students and ensuring no one new was missing._

_Harry Potter turned in his seat, smiling at the Potions master as he neared where he was sitting. He had opened his mouth to ask if Severus needed any help with brewing when he felt it. The castle and Rhiannon wept when Hebe breathed her last breath and that feeling ran through Harry as well. He had felt the tears welling in his eyes, sorrow overwhelming him at the knowledge that she was gone. Harry would miss her for the rest of his days despite the shortness of their time together._

_The potions master had leaned toward him, visibly concerned, most likely due to the tears that started to stream down Harry’s face. Before he could say anything though he had gasped in pain, gripped his arm, and folded himself around that arm as if to shield it._

_Before he even realized what he was doing, Harry was at the potion master’s side, pushing Severus’s hand away from his arm, away from the brand under his sleeve. His attention was completely on the professor, eye to eye._

_“You must make a choice, with no time to think,” Harry spoke, completely unsure where the words were coming from. “The shade drains the magic of those who would follow him in a desperate effort to cheat death. He will not succeed in this endeavor, but he will continue to try until there is nothing left to drain. Should he drain you, the chance of life is slim, should you survive, you will have no magic left within you.” The young boy could tell his voice was not truly his own; there was something there that spoke of ancient wisdom and power. Something else was speaking through him. “Hogwarts can save your life and magic but requires a promise, a vow. A promise to serve her and the students she is duty-bound to protect. A vow to continue your service for as long as you are physically able. Will you serve Hogwarts? Or will you choose to let fate decide whether you live or die?”_

_“I will serve,” Severus Snape managed to gasp out as his knees nearly gave out beneath him, conceivably due to immense pain._

_There was a flash of light and time seemed to stand still._

_Unknown to him, Harry’s eyes glowed bright with power and ageless knowledge._

_Harry felt the pain stop spreading through his professor. What once was drowned in pain was now bathed in a comfortable warmth._

_Darkness that had clung to the potions master without his knowledge cleared for the first time, leaving him lighter than he had been since he was a student himself._

_The pair had looked at each other for a moment before both of them collapsed._

Neither of them had been out for long after collapsing that day. Madam Pomfrey had inspected them there and claimed they were fine, just recovering from the shock of higher magics using them and then leaving them. 

That day marked the start of a new life for magical Britain. Purebloods around the British Isles, and a few on the continent, had either died or lost their magic. A large number of Slytherin students lost at least one family member when the Dark Lord officially died, a handful of other students lost family as well. Some were lucky enough that their father or mother just lost their magic, Lucius Malfoy for one had survived the drain, most were not so fortunate. Theo Nott, Greg Goyle and Pansy Parkinson had all lost their fathers. Millicent Bulstrode and Vincent Crabbe had lost both of their parents.

All the death eaters in Azkaban had died from the shock of the loss of their magic combined with the poor conditions that living with the Dementors created.

Wizarding Britain was in chaos in the weeks following the drain. Many of the most influential men and women in the country were either dead or without magic. As per their own laws, those once powerful individuals now had as much power as a cat, deemed only slightly above a house elf or a muggle. For those fighting for equality and revision, this was a lucky occurrence. With those most entrenched in the pureblood movement effectively silenced, they were able to work toward a more equal society. At the very least, they were able to make it impossible for purebloods to avoid questioning just because of their blood status. Additionally, Minister Cornelius Fudge lost all his bluster. The man was incapable of coming up with his own ideas so he became nothing more than a figure head listening to the department heads at the ministry; luckily for the people of magical Britain, Amelia Bones scared him more than anyone else so he was incapable of doing anything illegal. He did not win when he ran for reelection and was replaced by former Auror Rufus Scrimgeour. 

Harry had been quick to reassure everyone that the basilisk was no longer a threat, going so far as to show some of the professors and Aurors the body of the enormous creature. Seeing that alone had allowed the rest of the adults to breathe a sigh of relief. 

Not wanting the body to go to waste, Harry and Rhiannon had offered some of Hebe’s body to potions research. Severus had been thrilled to receive some basilisk parts for his brewing, including venom and parts of organs. He and Remus had taken Harry aside to ask more about his experience and it was during this conversation that the continued life of the young basilisk was revealed. Learning of her abilities and her devotion to Harry allowed them to keep the serpents secret. 

During summer break Minerva, with Hogwarts insistence, had hired Gringotts ward masters to examine and fix the school’s wards. It seemed the centuries of headmasters altering the ward scheme had damaged it, leaving a lot of holes, which is why Voldemort was able to do all he had done. They had also discovered a curse on the office of the defense professor, which was the main reason that they never lasted more than a year. With the curse removed, Remus was allowed to continue to teach at Hogwarts and still did.

There hadn’t been any drama at the school after that; well, no life-threatening drama, where teenagers were, emotional drama ensued. Harry and his friends continued to be absurdly mature, dedicated students throughout their schooling. All but Blaise ended up becoming Prefects in their fifth year; there really wasn’t anyone else the professors could have chosen. When they were seventh years, the staff decided to choose Harry and Daphne to become Head Boy and Girl. They had admitted to Harry that they had honestly tried not to choose him as head boy because of the Heir thing, but they agreed that he deserved it more than any other boy in the school. Their choice of Daphne as his counterpart was because Hermione still struggled with stress and forgot to relax from time to time; she did not need the additional responsibilities of Head Girl added to her plate.

After school Hermione had ended up working for the ministry for a few years before deciding that she absolutely hated the politics that ruled there despite the changes since the drain. When Minerva McGonagall decided that she would like to retire, she approached Hermione about taking over the position. Hermione had studied under her for a few years, getting her Mastery and training as a teacher. She had taken over full time only a year before and was doing a wonderful job. Minerva visited the castle once a month to give instruction to approved individuals who wanted to attempt the animagus transformation. On a personal front, Hermione had ended up marrying Cedric Diggory. While she had found him attractive even at an early age, what endeared him to her most was his kindness. They had started dating after his very public breakup with Cho Change; Hermione had been in the room when Cho had publicly admitted that she had been cheating on him and he was too stupid to notice. Cho had yet to marry but Cedric and Hermione were going strong and both doted on their two-year-old daughter Rose. The fact that Hermione was pregnant with their second irritated Cho to no end.

Filius was still teaching and had become the deputy headmaster. He had passed on his position as head of Ravenclaw to Septima Vector when he took the deputy post five years ago. 

Professor Sprout was in the process of retiring and was finishing up her training with Neville Longbottom. Neville, being the Herbology prodigy that he was, had stayed at Hogwarts directly after graduation to attain his mastery. He had started teaching the first and second years after two years of study and had slowly been taking over more and more of the teaching. Professor Sprout had been reluctant to retire, which is why it had taken so long. The only class Neville wasn’t teaching this year was fifth year. Pomona Sprout would probably talk Harry into allowing her to stay on for a year or two just to work in the green houses and offer her services as a tutor when she finally did decide to retire from teaching. 

Hannah had changed slowly after the chamber incident. By the end of their time at Hogwarts she was a constant in their group. She and Neville started dating in fifth year and had married over the Yule holiday the year after they left Hogwarts. Three years ago, she bought the Leaky Cauldron and had turned it into something more than just a seedy pub. They had two children, a boy and girl. Frank was six, while Alice was three. 

Susan, like she had always wanted, had joined the DMLE and was quickly rising up the ranks. Rumor was that she was a shoo-in for the position of head in a few years’ time. She had married Dean Thomas three years ago after a five-year courtship. The muggleborn boy had a bit of a crisis of faith after the chamber incident. As the years went by, he spent less time with Seamus and Ron and more time with Neville and Harry, finding that he appreciated their ability to buckled down when needed but still knowing how to have fun over Ron and Seamus’s desire to have fun all the time and study the night before tests. Dean became an Auror and had no problem working for his wife.

Unsurprisingly, Luna had become a magi-zoologist. She traveled the world with her husband Rolf Scamander.

Fred and George had an equally obvious career path. When they graduated Hogwarts, completing their NEWTs with 5 a piece, all at least EE but most of them Os, they opened a joke shop. Sirius and Harry had put money down for the endeavor as silent partners, and were reaping the benefits. Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes had put Zonko’s out of business in less than six months and they had opened four additional stores since. There were two in Britain, Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Two in America, the magical portion of the French Quarter in Louisiana and in California. The last was in Italy. Rumor was that France would be the next store opening, probably just in time for Holiday shopping. Fred had married Angelina, while George had married an American witch, one with connections in Louisiana. 

Draco had become a healer. This had surprised a great many people but had not surprised his friends. The Slytherin had started searching careers with an eye out for occupations that helped people as opposed to oppressing them like his father had done. He hoped that one day people would not think of the Malfoy family as pureblood bigots. Healing was the answer to that and thankfully, he loved it. He had eventually opened his own practice, with his wife and partner, Nicole. Nicole was an American muggleborn witch who had gone through healer training with him. His parents had threatened to disown him, but his mother eventually came around, after their first children was born. Draco brewed all the potions for the practice, having studied for his potions mastery with Professor Snape before going into the healer program. Draco and Nicole had the most children of their group. Nicole was a triplet and to Draco’s surprise and terror, they had triplets first. Abigail, Hailey and Sophie Malfoy were five. Their younger brothers, Liam and Caleb, were both one. 

Blaise ended up buying the Balley Castle Bats. They went through a string of bad luck, their record for five years straight was worse than the cannons, so Blaise made an offer the owner could not refuse. The Italian worked closely with the coach, shelling out a lot of extra money from his own pocket to entice players to his team. Under the leadership of their captain, Oliver Wood, they managed to win the league after only two years of Blaise’s owner ship. Beyond that, Blaise invested. He had a gift for finding up and coming business and giving them just enough advice and support that they flourished. Blaise was essentially the new Lucius Malfoy of magical Britain, except he had morals. Blaise was the only member of their group that remained unmarried. 

Harry had decided to study both Runes and Defense directly after school. He studied those with Remus and Bathsheda, achieving masteries in both subjects in record time. After that, he had gone to study with Gringotts warders to attain a mastery in warding. It was after that, at twenty-three, he returned to Hogwarts to learn what it meant to be a professor and headmaster. Harry ended up teaching NEWT level defense and third year Runes to begin with, under the guidance of the professors of course. Minerva and Hogwarts gave him lessons on running the school between classes. He had taken over as headmaster just over three years ago but still continued to teach at least two classes a year, and acted as a sub, to stay more connected to the students. At twenty-six, he took over officially as headmaster and was the youngest headmaster in history.

Daphne and Harry had married when they were twenty. They had three children and had agreed that three was enough. First was their son, Alexander James Potter, had just turned six but despite his young age, he absorbed books. Iris Lily was five and was far too mischievous for someone so cute. Charles Evan was two and was apparently against sleeping at night. Daphne had gone into healing like Draco but with a different goal in mind. She had decided that she would one day take over for Madam Pomfrey so she could work with the man she loved. Poppy had not yet retired but she was scaling back; the more time Daphne spent in the hospital wing, the more time Poppy spent spoiling Harry and Daphne’s kids.

Harry sighed when he found his office occupied. He had an open-door policy but most left when they found the office empty. The only exceptions were his wife and Severus Snape. More often than not, it was not his wife lounging in one of his office chairs when he returned to his office.

Severus was an odd case. The death of Voldemort’s shade had caused quite a few problems for the man. Because of his bond to Hogwarts he could not leave his position as professor. Harry knew that teaching had never been his ultimate goal, so he had been working with Bathsheda and Septima to see if it was possible to remove the mark. Sometimes he considered dropping his research because the potions master loved to irritate him. 

“Is that a carpet python?” Harry asked the older man when he spotted a yellow and black snake slithering around the floor while his daughter laughed, delighted by the whole thing.

“It is. I believe it is called the jaguar carpet python.”

Harry felt his eye twitch. “And why is it in my office, slithering around my daughter, who, if I am not mistaken, is small enough for the snake to eat?”

Severus smirked, “You know very well that no snake would ever eat her, she is a speaker after all.”

“While that may be true,” Harry agreed, depositing Lulu on his desk and placing Scarlet on the top shelf of the closest bookshelf, her favorite spot, “that does not answer the question of where he came from.”

“One of my contacts discovered him in a shipment of potions ingredients. Knowing that it is illegal to not only transport but sell African magical snakes, he called on me. The rest is history.” 

This was true. African countries did not like their magical snakes leaving the continent. Even stranger though, they did not want them back if the did leave the country. Bill was able to get enough out of a man in Egypt to ascertain that they thought any snake who left mother African was somehow tainted or something like that. Harry rubbed his face tiredly, “So you’re saying that I have to explain to Daphne that I have adopted yet another dangerous, magical snake, and this one is big enough to eat two of my children?”

“Precisely.” 

Harry crouched down and picked his daughter up, causing her to squeal, “Did you name the snake, munchkin?”

“No, daddy,” she grinned at him, wrapping her little arms around his neck. Iris was all Daphne. White blonde hair, ice blue eyes and she could melt his heart when she smiled. “He told me his name is Shango.”

 _“Greetings Shango,”_ Harry hissed quietly, _“does your name mean anything specific?”_

_“I was named for the god of Thunder in my homeland.”_

“Of course, it would be another god,” Harry muttered under his breath in English. _“You are welcome to stay as long as you can get along with all of the others. I will warn you; Set irritates just about everyone and Nefertiti does not answer to anyone but Rhiannon and myself.”_ He sat in his chair, placing Iris on his knee. _“Oh, and if you hurt my kids, I will make you into a very nice pair of shoes for my wife, maybe even a purse, and allow Severus to harvest the rest of your body for potions ingredients.”_

 _“I agree to your terms, speaker. Word of your greatness has reached far and wide and I am honored to be housed with you and the queen. The little speaker is quite amusing and I would not dream of harming one of your blood.”_ His large head swung around the room, taking in the other snakes and they introduced themselves one by one. _“Honorable bloodlines. Many are young yet and their youth makes them prone to haughty attitudes, this will not bother me.”_

_“Rhiannon, the queen resides under the school and with her is Rikki, a green anaconda. Rikki is nearing sixty years and is not prone to childishness. If you ever wish to join them, you can open the panel I entered the room with at any time.”_

_“Thank you, Speaker Harry Potter.”_

A moment later, Shango had disappeared down the passageway, intent on introducing himself to the queen of snakes.

“Your mom is going to kill me,” he whispered into his daughter’s hair, causing her to giggle again. Harry looked up and over at his former teacher and friend. “Do you regret it, Severus?”

The older man blinked, “Do I regret what?”

“It was no secret that you never planned on teaching and that you dislike teaching. Do you regret making the vow to serve Hogwarts?”

Severus sighed and stood, starting to pace in front of Harry’s desk. They had never actually discussed this before, both of them avoiding it. “I thought I might. In the moment all I wanted was to live, which was surprising enough, but eventually, I was grateful.” 

“I never wanted to trap you here, but I also didn’t want you to die when I could do something to stop it. Hogwarts was in complete agreement with me on that.”

“You said Hogwarts was sure I would live.”

“While that is true, for you, to live without magic would be a death sentence.”

That was true. Without magic, Severus could not brew the way he needed to. He would be able to brew the most basic of potions only. The ones that required magic, inventing, healing, all of that would be gone. “Despite tying me to the school, you have made it remarkably easy to endure. Hiring a second teacher was brilliant and allowed me to focus on students who don’t irritate me every second of every day; I actually like teaching fifth through seventh year now. Not to mention it allows me to take on a mastery student or two if I find any I can tolerate. Allowing Aurora and I to share as head of Slytherin worked out even better. Harry,” he smiled slightly, “had I not stayed on to continue teaching, I would not have met Anya.” 

Horace Slughorn had returned to teach the first through fourth year students for three years. During that time, Minerva and Horace looked for someone to replace him. That is where Anya came in. Anya Ivanov was a talented potions mistress from Russia who struggled to achieve much of anything simply because she was female. When she took the post, she had just turned twenty-eight and she was eager to please. The two had argued relentlessly for about three months before Severus kissed her out of sheer frustration. A kiss did not fix everything but they did stop fighting whenever they saw each other after that. Their courtship was long, they married two years after Harry and Daphne but their only child was born three months before Harry’s oldest. Mikhail Snape, named after Anya’s father, loved potions just as much as his parents and spent a great deal of time with Alex Potter and Frank Longbottom.

“Hogwarts is my home, Harry. Why do you ask now, after so many years?”

“I think I could do it,” Harry admitted. “I think I could break your tie to the school and allow you to have another career without killing you in the process. I have been working with Septima and Bathsheda on the theory. Draco found some notes hidden away in a chest in his family vault that talked about the creation of the Dark Mark. The fact that I am a Parselmouth looks like it is the key to reversing the consequences of breaking the vow and would allow me to remove it entirely.” 

The potions master pushed his sleeve back and looked at his changed tattoo. He no longer sported the disturbing snake and skull on his arm; instead, the Hogwarts crest covered his forearm. “While I appreciate the thought, I do not see the point in taking the chance when I have no desire to leave.”

Harry nodded slowly, “If that ever changes, let me know. Hogwarts and I don’t want to keep you prisoner here. The school just didn’t see any other way to keep you whole when she tied you to her. Had there been more time, we may have been able to change the agreement.”

“You have nothing to worry about in that department, Harry.” He surveyed the office, smirking at all the snakes draped on the furniture. “The snakes, however, may get you killed one day.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Harry rolled his eyes. “The only snake I purposely acquired was Zulu, long before Daphne and I got together. I blame you, Bill and Luna for the rest of them.”

“As do I,” Daphne said from the doorway, Charlie on her hip. 

“I didn’t do it!” Harry said quickly.

“Oh, I know,” Daphne shook her head with a smirk. “Severus let me know about the carpet python before he came up here.” She set the toddler down, and he instantly made his wobbly way over to Severus, “At least this one didn’t bond with our daughter.” Daphne snatched Iris from his arms and spun her, “Are you ready to hang out with your grandparents?”

The two Potter children in the room cheered. Charlie wiggled, announcing that he wanted to be put down again, despite just being picked up by the potions master, and raced back to Daphne as fast as his chubby little legs would carry him. Daphne put Iris down and scooped the little boy up. “I’ll be back after I drop the little demons off with my parents, alright?”

Harry nodded, “I’ve some paperwork to finish; I’ll be here when you get back.”

Severus walked toward the door, scooping Iris up and depositing her on his shoulders, “I will walk down to the green houses with you,” they all knew that Alex and Frank were with Neville, his own son was probably there as well. “Perhaps I will find another snake on the way,” he smirked at Harry over his shoulder, causing the younger man to roll his eyes. 

His kids loved Daphne’s parents. Daphne’s parents and Sirius took great pleasure in having the kids for sleepovers. Because of this, Harry and Daphne got two weekends a month with no children, as long as you didn’t count the students. Sirius got one weekend, while Daphne’s parents got the other.

Sirius had not married. He remained devoted to being Harry’s godfather and running the Black family. Eventually, he planned to train one of Harry’s kids to run the family since Harry had his hands full with Hogwarts. 

Instead of getting to paperwork that one of the teachers had oh so lovingly left on his desk, he turned his attention to the portraits of those who served before him. They had been helpful to him over the years and had started helping him long before he took the position. In fact, they had insisted on speaking with him monthly at least while he was still a student. They didn’t help with schoolwork or give him ideas about what to change, instead they wanted to know about the world outside. 

Most of the previous headmasters were purebloods and had never spent time outside the world of magic. The earliest headmasters may have lived among non-magical people because the statute hadn’t been written yet but that was long ago and the world was entirely different, alien in comparison. They thought it was best to understand the changes and differences so that one day they could better advise him in the future. In truth, telling them about the muggle world showed him a few things that could be improved at the school. Some of those things he discussed with Minerva and they applied before he had graduated. As he grew older, the portraits did start suggesting things. 

Each and every former headmaster had an idea about what he should study after graduating. Most leaned toward potions or transfiguration. When he said he wanted to study Defense and Runes to then study warding they had conceded that he had a good enough plan. Vindictus still insisted that he become a potions master. 

Harry scanned the wall, his eyes fixing on a man with long white hair in the top left corner. He was the one Headmaster that never spoke. There were a few others who rarely said anything but this one had never said anything to Harry or any other Headmaster; he had asked. It took him a while to figure out who it was and now was the time to confront him and a few others. 

“Vindictus,” his gaze returned to the most sarcastic and vocal portrait. “Has anyone ever figured out who you really are?”

The man who everyone assumed was Vindictus Veridian simply raised an eyebrow.

“Who he really is?” Dippet questioned.

“Yes, I know he isn’t Headmaster Veridian. I looked it up and he looks nothing like the potions master.” Harry had been looking for the silent man in the corner and found him in a book listing former headmasters. He was not where Harry expected. The white-haired silent man in the corner was actually listed as Vindictus Veridian. Not trusting the source, Harry had scoured other sources and each time the picture of Veridian match the silent man, not the overly opinionated, sarcastic, loudmouth that insulted everyone. “Vindictus is the portrait up in the corner, the one none of you seem to know.”

“You’ve found me out,” said portrait yawned. “This has been fun, but I am enjoying my century of napping.” He promptly went back to sleep. 

All heads turned to the portrait formerly known as Vindictus. One man, his beard was wild, and his hair resembled a lion’s man, laughed. “It seems the jig is up my friend.” He had previously identified himself as Fytherley Undercliffe, this was also false.

‘Vindictus’ rolled his eyes, “Must you be so obnoxious, Ric?”

“Here they go again,” a dark-haired woman with glasses sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

Another woman giggled. “I do so enjoy them like this.” 

The two women had previously been known as Phyllida Spore and Heliotrope Wilkins respectively. 

“I am getting the impression that those four are not who they claim to be,” Phineas stroked his bearded chin thoughtfully. 

“You are correct, Phineas.” Harry grinned. His eyes went from one to the other in succession. “You see, I found a painting, not animated mind you, down Salazar Slytherin’s office. The office in the Chamber of Secrets.” Harry could have laughed at the expression that crossed the sarcastic man’s face. “It was well hidden, which is why I didn’t find it until a few days ago.”

“Where did you find it?” Phineas asked, very interested. 

“In a secret room hidden behind a bookshelf.” Harry did laugh then. “If I wasn’t fairly certain this was the first instance of creating a hidden door that opened when you lifted the correct book on a bookshelf, I would say this was entirely too cliché. Instead, I will say that you may have inspired a number of spy films.” Most had at least some idea of what a film was, he had tried to describe them as best he could. “The subjects of this painting appear to be the founders; or at least that is what the title plate on the frame says. ‘The Founders of Hogwarts.’”

“Are you trying to tell me,” Dippet gulped, “That the man who insulted me constantly during my tenure as headmaster, was not Vindictus Veridian but was in fact, Salazar Slytherin?”

“I am indeed.”

“And that would make the other three,” Phineas waved his hand to indicate the three that had spoken earlier, “Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff.”

“Congratulations, my boy,” Godric boomed, “You are the first to discover us!”

“He had an unfair advantage, of course,” Rowena added. “Unlike the rest of them, he had access to Salazar’s hidden chambers.”

“I knew it would be him,” Helga beamed. “He is of your house, Rowena, and a true example of your ideals at that. He strives for knowledge but not at the expense of experiences. Though I think the best reason it is him is that he would have done well in any house; I dare say there would have been quite the fight over him had he been a student when we were running things.”

“Who else would have figured us out?” Salazar asked, sounding rather bored. “He is my heir after all. He is the one I said would come to bring Hogwarts out of the darkness and bring it back to what we always wanted it to be. He is my heir in magic, and heart.”

“But he is my heir by blood,” Godric interjected. This was true. Harry had managed to trace is line back and one of Godric’s granddaughters married into the Peverell family, a family that eventually led to the Potters.

“How is it that no one has discovered this previously?” Dippet wondered. “Wouldn’t the headmaster proceeding you took know that your identities were false?”

Rowena shrugged, “Phyllida, Fytherley and Heliotrope never had their portraits painted or enchanted so they could not grace the walls, so the castle helped us convince everyone that those were our identities. She even allowed us to alter the perception of the few who came before, so they didn’t realize that we had already been hanging here.”

“Vindictus hates people,” Salazar added, “I am not sure why he decided to teach or become headmaster, but he asked that he be allowed to remain silent and not advise future headmasters. It was easy to convince him to allow me to use his name.” 

“I am guessing the fact that you are a founder is why little Albie couldn’t shut you up?” Phineas asked, sounding extremely jealous. They did not speak of Albus Dumbledore often. He had disappeared not long after being barred from Hogwarts. His reputation in the wizarding world had been tarnished beyond belief resulting in him losing his positions worldwide. No one had seen him in over ten years. The last time harry had seen him was when he was eighteen. Albus had insisted that he had to sacrifice himself or Voldemort would take over his body and then rule the world. It was too bad the headmaster hadn’t realized that they had removed Voldemort’s taint from his scar when he was twelve. 

“It is indeed,” Rowena answered for the founder of Slytherin house. “Albus was actually incapable of quieting any of the four of us, Salazar was just the only one to make that fact known.”

“If the four of you were here,” Dippet wondered, “why did Albus get away with so much? And why did young Tom not get caught back when he first opened the chamber?”

“I will answer the first,” Godric insisted. “Our portraits were meant as a failsafe for a case like Albus Dumbledore. The problem was the wards by that point were so muddied with changes made over the years that we had lost our connection to the safety measures we wrote into the original wards. We tried to get rid of him but could not. The only reason we were able to in the end was because Hogwarts had identified Harry as our Heir, partially clearing our connection.”

“As for Tom and my Chamber, I was also bound by the wards and a promise. We are actually not allowed to tell our identities to the headmasters, the only way for a headmaster to know is for them to find the secret on their own. It was my idea and I regret it because of Tom. I had hoped that by not identifying ourselves, we would not be tempted to force change on the school that would not work for the times. Like with Albus, my connection to the wards was nearly cut so that I could not act.”

“We all agreed, Salazar.” Helga spoke softly. “When he commissioned our portraits, we were already revered as legends. Many sought us out for advice on their troubles. It came to the point that we were asked about things that should not need advice. We did not think that trend would lessen with time.”

“While we planned to help when needed, we expected and wanted future headmasters to lead the school as the world changed. What worked for us would not work now,” Rowena continued.

“Certainly not,” Godric laughed, “I doubt swords would be welcome in a defense class, let alone expected these days.”

Harry’s eyes widened with an expression of dread, “Oh Merlin, I just got an image of Conrad Hinkley with a sword.” He shuddered thinking of the clumsy twelve-year-old that managed to curse himself on an almost daily basis. “Someone would lose a limb in the first ten minutes of class. And actually, I am fairly certain Draco and Ron would have killed each other within a week our first year here.”

Hedwig flew through the window at that moment, a letter on her leg. Harry smiled at her, stroking her soft feathers as he detached the letter from around her leg. She was getting older, but she was still the best owl in the world.

“Are you going to abandon our conversation for an owl?” Salazar asked with some disgust.

“Yes,” Harry said simply, Hedwig puffed up her chest in pleasure as he continued to bathe her in attention. “Hedwig has been a friend and protector most of my life; she deserves my full attention.”

“I like his dedication to his owl,” Rowena smirked, “it shows true intelligence.” 

Harry chuckled as Hedwig flapped over to her perch. “Thanks, girl.” Spying the handwriting a smile spread across Harry’s face. 

_Harry,_

_How are things at Hogwarts? How are my grandkids? When can you come visit?_

_I miss you, my Harry and wish we could spend more time together. Even though it has been years since you lived with us, it still feels strange not fixing breakfast with you or working with you in the garden. I actually turned around while cooking the bacon this morning (I know Vernon is on a diet, but he only gets two slices every few days) expecting you to be sitting at the table reading a book. The house seems so lonely without you and Dudley around every day._

_Vernon is still beyond irritated that he is on a diet. His doctor continues to argue that his previous diet will only cause another heart attack. I am so grateful that he survived that and still can’t thank you enough for being there. He has lost a little weight, but he has been very vocal about his displeasure._

_Oh, so you know, Beans passed away three days ago. Dudley is devastated. Daisy and Robby are almost as crushed as their father. Monica is trying to convince them that it was her time, but the three won’t listen to her. You and I both know that Beans was in pain due to age, the poor thing was nineteen after all. She spent most of the day sleeping and you could just here her groan when she got up. I know Dudley will eventually come around but right now he is not handling it well._

_Don’t forget, Robby’s birthday party is next weekend. Dudley will hunt you down if you aren’t there! Robby wants you to know that he wants a dragon, not a toy dragon but a real dragon. Daisy, though it is not her birthday for another five months, would like to request a unicorn for her birthday. Monica insists I remind you that they do not need live animals as Robby is only turning five and Daisy is seven._

_One thing I do have to mention, Marge’s funeral will be Sunday. I know she hated you and treated you horribly, but I thought you should know. Dudley is going but Monica and the kids aren’t (you know Monica and Marge hated each other). I am going to support Vernon and Dudley, though I don’t really think this will affect Dudley. If you do decide to come to anything, we are holding a small wake at the house. I don’t expect many people to come so it might just be us._

_I have to get going. Marge had very few friends, so I am planning everything for Vernon. I am sure she is gloating from her grave, laughing at the fact that I am still waiting on her hand and foot. The woman had some really ridiculous plans for her wake._

_Send me patience,_

_Love_

_Aunt Petunia_

Harry couldn’t help the chuckle that bubble in his chest at the last line; Marge Dursley really did get under his aunt’s skin. He did feel bad for Vernon, the man had always loved his sister, so Harry probably would force himself to make an appearance at the wake, even if it was a kid free weekend he would have preferred to spend with his wife. 

Going to the wake would also give him an opportunity to check in on Dudley. His cousin had never handled loss well. It would be worse due to his attachment to Beans. 

“Do you think he chuckles to himself when he reads all his correspondence?” Phineas Black asked, purposely speaking loudly.

“Perhaps it is a sign of insanity?” Salazar mused.

“I am starting to see why everyone said you were annoying,” Harry rolled his eyes. Salazar had been a lot tamer with him than the previous headmasters, many of them complained about it. That did not mean he wasn’t snarky. “What made me chuckle is of no consequence,” he set the letter down and turned to the portraits. “I just remembered something I have been meaning to ask you, Salazar.”

“Oh?” he raised an eyebrow.

“How did you knock Dumbledore unconscious?”

All portraits turned to the sarcastic man. 

“I was actually wondering that myself,” Rowena agreed while Helga nodded.

“Yes,” Godric added, “and can I do it too?”

A terrifyingly evil grin spread across the man’s face as he began to laugh. The laugh started off small but build until he was all but cackling. If he had a visible body, he would be holding his stomach he was laughing so hard. 

Salazar’s maniacal laugh caused ice to run down Harry’s spine, “I’m not going to like the answer to this,” he muttered, steeling himself for what was to come.

When his laughter subsided, Salazar’s portrait wiped tears from his eyes, “It was something I added in, something I planned as a failsafe for if a headmaster needed to be removed. When Harry was recognized as the heir, my connection to the castle was partially repaired, as I already said. I can do that whenever needed should there be no other option.”

The portraits all seemed to relax, but Harry did not. He did not like the look in Salazar’s eyes.

“Or if I fell like.” He focused in on Harry, “Do you want to take a nap?”

…

…

…

When Daphne returned to the office after dropping off the kids, she found her husband slumped over his desk, fast asleep, while ‘Vindictus Veridian’ chuckled.


End file.
